In these tough economic times, has the board considered a temporary increase in dues, with a set end date when the dues would be adjusted downward?
A.In crafting the dues proposal, the board of directors looked carefully at two overarching objectives: first, to provide the funding to fulfill the membership’s longstanding goal of forming a new national nurses union; and second, to maintain the current level of services and resources that our membership has come to value and expect from their membership in the MNA. A temporary dues change would not allow us to meet the membership’s objectives. The cost of doing the work of the MNA has continued to increase and will continue to increase as do costs for all of us. Most, if not all unions of our size and complexity of work already incorporate a formula that allows dues to escalate over time to keep pace with cost inflation. Without a sustainable change in dues at this time, the MNA cannot participate in the new national, nor can it sustain the current level of services the members both value and demand. It is in tough economic times that employers attempt to cut pay and benefits and em
