Union dues question...are you in one? Bonus pts. for RN post

[AllyCat]

When I belonged to the Teamsters about 5 years ago, union dues were 2 hours of pay each month.

I'm currently considering a nursing job that pays WAAAYYYY more than the other offers I've had (we're talking $6/hour more). They are the only ones unionized...SEIU is the organizer. Any guess on how dues are structured. Could it be $200-300 a month for dues and that's why the pay is so much more?

I'm just trying to get a ballpark figure here since I can't get in touch with any of my nurse friends to find out what they pay for dues.

Thanks!

[no name no slogan]

1. Mine has a couple of options

I work for the state and am a member of the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (MAPE). We're independent (no nat'l association), but also work with other state employee unions, like AFSCME.

IIRC dues are automatically taken out of everyone's check dependent on what they're paid-- mine is about $12/mo, IIRC, for what they call a "fair share" member (basic membership). I also donate an additional $20 per paycheck (every two weeks) as well.

$200-$300 a month seems awful high to me for union dues. Of course, I'm not an RN (I'm a tech weenie) and my union has quite a few members in my division (approx. 3,500), so that may have something to do with how much dues are, too.

[AllyCat]

2. Thanks NMNS

I just threw out $200-300 as an exorbitant amount (I think). That would be enough to offset some of the extra pay this offer included.

Just trying to figure this out because I am supposed to make a decision by tomorrow morning and can't get in touch with my nurse friends.

$12 sounds reasonable, but I know it depends on the pay too.