Guild, member donations to Sandy relief fund total $6980

02/07/2013

Guild Contribution

$2500

Member Contributions

$2240

Guild Match

$2240

TOTAL

$6980

Guild members and the Guild raised a combined $6980 to help CWA members(including Guild members) whose homes and property were lost or damaged by Hurricane Sandy.

The total that was collected by the Jan. 31 deadline includes $2240 from members, another $2240 matching donation from the Guild and the Guild’s initial contribution of $2500.

At its December meeting, the Guild’s Executive Committee voted to forego the Local’s annual holiday party and instead donate the money that normally would have been spent on it ($2500 to $5000) to a fund set up by the Communications Workers of America (our parent union) to help tri-state area members who were hit by the storm. The Executive Committee approved a donation to the fund of $2500 and up to $2500 more to match donations from members.

Several Guild members hit by Hurricane Sandy were among those who applied for assistance from the CWA’s Disaster Relief Fund.

Dues max adjustment to kick in April 1

Each year, the maximum weekly salary on which dues may be assessed increases. Despite these annual increases, which are spelled out in the Constitution of The Newspaper Guild-Communication Workers of America, the New York Guild hasn’t increased its maximum dues-assessable salary in five years.

Effective April 1, however, the maximum salary will increase to $2150 per week from $2045. Currently, the dues rate for members earning more than $2045 a week is effectively less than the 1.3846 percent (plus $1 a month) paid by members who earn less than that amount. Raising the maximum salary means that the effective dues rate for all members earning up to $2150 will be equal. No dues will be assessed on weekly earnings above $2150, which is still below the current maximum in the TNG-CWA constitution.

For the large majority of members, there will be no increase in dues. Those earning more than $2045 a week, however, may see an increase of up to $1.45 a week.

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