Dues are contributions essential to building a strong union. Once we have ratified our first contract, we will fight for a raise that will at least cover our dues rate (UE average is 3.3% raise per contract). We’ll vote to approve the raise we’ve negotiated, and can vote to reject the contract if we think we should negotiate for more. Only after approving our contract will we pay dues to the union (from our post-raise paycheck!). The UE minimum dues rate is 1.44%.