Fill out the membership form and give it to your UC-AFT field representative, or send it to UC-AFT, [insert address here].

Member or Fee Payer?
All UC non-senate faculty (Unit 18) and librarians (Unit 17) are represented by UC-AFT as a condition of employment. However, you are not automatically a member of the union. Non-members in the represented units pay a "fair share fee"; members pay membership dues. Either way, the amount is the same: 1.35% of gross monthly salary, capped at $65. (Note: for senate faculty members, the dues are .996% of monthly gross, capped at $55.)

If you are not sure of your membership status, look at the union deduction on your paycheck. If it says "UC-AFT dues," then you are a member; if it says "agency fee," then you are a non-member. While members and fee payers pay the same amount, there are benefits to being a member:

• Your membership gives you a voice in the organization that represents you. It gives you the right to vote (contract ratifications, union elections, etc.), run for union office, and in other ways have input on what the union does.
• Higher union membership makes the union more effective: it translates into more respect at the bargaining table.