Growing our Union for the Future.
One of the ways we need to nurture our chapter is to be fiscally able to maintain the chapter programs and events. Local dues is the only part of your overall union dues that chapters have to spend on attending CSEA’s annual conference and provide other programs the chapter wishes to spend monies on.
In 2002, our dues were doubled from $10 a year to $20 a year. We had 325 members and also took in around $1000 a year due to fundraisers. This gave us an income of $7,500 a year.
We spent money on: Annual Conference, two $1000 scholarships, two fellowship chapter meetings (December and June), Sunshine Committee (cards and flowers for members), member trainings, and other events. We also put aside a small portion each year in case we had a rainy day.
Well that rainy day lasted about five years. Every year, we have been streamlining our budgets and slowly eating away our carry-over. We no longer hold fundraisers due to lack of interest in the last few years. Our membership dropped to 250 through attrition and elimination of positions. Conference expenses have increased. Annual revenues dropped from $7,500 to $5,000 a year. We have been deficit spending to maintain our scholarship program. We have eliminated most of the other member programs (Training, gatherings, etc.).
As a solution, the Executive Board is presenting a dues increase of just $1 a month. This is the first dues increase in 13 years. This will bring the revenues up to $7,500 a year.
If this amendment passes, we can bring back: member training opportunities (in district and others like Para Conference), member fellowship meetings, sunshine committee expenses to let our member know we care, maintain our scholarship program without eliminating our small carry over.
If it fails, we will not be able to maintain scholarship program, increased Conference costs will eat up our carry over in a few years. We would have no additional funds for training or fellowship opportunities.
The choice is yours… Help us continue to grow our union with this modest increase. Make sure you attend our October Chapter meeting on Monday, October 26, 2015.
