To join
the New School unit, download a membership card and mail it to: ACT-UAW
Local 7902 113 University Place 6th Floor New York, NY 10003
What
is this card? It is a union membership card for ACT-UAW (UAW Local 7902).
The top portion of the card is for the local, the second part is the dues
checkoff authorization; for our records, and the bottom section is the same for
the University's records.
Do I have to sign it? Our contract
requires all part-time New School teachers to be members in good
standing.
How much are the dues and when do I have to pay
them? Dues are 1.15 percent of gross salary (e.g., for every $100 earned,
dues are $1.15). Because dues are deducted by the New School from your paycheck
on the local's behalf, they are never collected unless you are paid.
Where do the dues go, and for what purpose? The money is spilt
between our local (ACT-UAW, UAW Local 7902), the UAW International, and our UAW
Strike Fund. For more specific information on how our dues money is used, check
out the .
Our local uses
its portion of your dues to pay staff when volunteers are not available, to fund
organizing activities, and to pay for the legal support needed to enforce our
contract.
The UAW International spends money on such things as organizing
new members (like the adjunct faculty here at NYU and the New School), staffing,
and education and training programs.
The UAW Strike Fund, which is
currently over $800 million, is used to support members on strike by paying a
strike stipend, health insurance (if you currently receive it as part of your
employment compensation), and other strike related expenses. Only union members
who participate in a strike are eligible to collect strike benefits.
Is there an initiation fee? Yes, there is a $50 initiation
fee, but it is waived if you join before the contract goes into effect.
Why is it important to sign this card? Only members can vote
to elect officers, ratify contracts, and decide whether or not to strike.
Further, only members can become officers and participate in union
governance.
By forming our union, we have taken a big step in addressing
how the university treats its adjunct faculty. To be able to deal with the
university from a position of strength, we need a unified membership. The more
signed members we have, the stronger our contract remains. To sustain and
further develop meaningful reforms in how we are treated by the New School, we
need a strong union.
Didn't I sign up already? In the past, you
might have signed a petition or a card seeking to be represented by ACT-UAW.
This is not the same as signing a membership card and becoming a member of the
union. It only takes a moment to sign the membership card and the dues check-off
authorization.
We are very proud of our union and our contract. We look
forward to you becoming an active member of our young and vital union.
