Where your dues and fees go

The graph on the left is how much you pay (click to enlarge). Note that the lowest-paid faculty pay the highest percentage.

The pie chart on the right is where the money goes for members who make more than $42,420/year and are a members of AFMSU. For non-members, the percentages are similar. Note that less than 10% of dues and fees remain on campus.

MEA-MFT is the Helena-based union. NEA, the National Education Association, is the largest labor union in the United States.

Dues and fees

If your current salary exceeds $42,420, on the current fee schedule over a 30-year career, you will pay $18,930 if you are a member, and $12,510 if you are not a member. 

AFMSU struggled to determine legal membership and representation fees.  They finally set a fixed fee of $631/year for those with salaries in excess of $42,420 per academic year (most of the faculty). Nearly 60% of those fees are forwarded to MEA-MFT and another 30% to NEA.  At the lowest level of this range, the fees represent 1.5% of your annual salary if you are a union member -- substantially higher than the 0.9% number mentioned earlier in the process.  For the highest salaries, the membership fee may represent less than 0.5%.  Thus, the highest percentages are being applied to those with the lowest annual faculty salaries.

In terms of dollars rather than percentages, for a union member whose salary is greater than or equal to $42,420, the annual dues are $631, of which $370 are paid to MEA-MFT, $205 are paid to NEA, and $56 are paid to AFMSU.  For a member of the bargaining unit who is not a union member and whose salary is greater than or equal to $42,420, the annual dues are $417, of which $263 are paid to MEA-MFT, $114 are paid to NEA, and $40 are paid to AFMSU.

Faculty who publicly support decertification

1. W. Randall Babbitt, Professor, Physics
2. Brian Bothner, Associate Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry
3. Gary Brester, Professor, Agricultural Economics and Economics
4. Joan Broderick, Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry
5. F. William Brown, Professor, College of Business
6. Patrik Callis, Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry
7. Gary L. Caton, Associate Professor, Finance
8. Rufus Cone, Professor, Physics
9. Valerie Copie, Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry
10. Neil Cornish, Professor, Physics
11. David Dickensheets, Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
12. Trevor Douglas, Regents Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry
13. Edward Dratz, Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry
14. Steven Eiger, Associate Professor, Cell Biology and Neuroscience
15. Paul Grieco, Regents Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry
16. Michele Hardy, Associate Professor, Immunology and Infectious Diseases
17. Thom Hughes, Professor, Cell Biology and Neuroscience
18. Jerry D. Johnson, Professor, Political Science
19. Charles Kankelborg, Associate Professor, Physics
20. Bern Kohler, Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry
21. Bennett Link, Professor, Physics
22. Dana Longcope, Professor, Physics
23. Wesley C. Lynch, Professor, Psychology
24. Timothy K. Minton, Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry
25. Trevor Rainey, Assistant Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry
26. Randy Rucker, Professor, Agricultural Economics and Economics
27. William Ruff, Associate Professor, Education Leadership
28. Ed Schmidt, Associate Professor, Immunology and Infectious Diseases
29. Vincent Smith, Professor, Agricultural Economics and Economics
30. Robert Szilagyi, Associate Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry
31. Rob Walker, Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry
32. Angela Woodland, Assistant Professor, College of Business

If you would like your name added to this list, please send an e-mail to bennett.link@gmail.com