No! While our union will have greater negotiating power and be more effective with strong unified membership, no one is required to join the union. If you do not want to be a member, you will still benefit from any contract that the union negotiates and will thus pay a fair share fee (percentage of dues) to cover the costs of bargaining (link to ‘Do I have to join a union’) (‘Do I have to join a union?’)
The clause referenced in the 3/9/22 email from GME is an example of a “union security clause”, which is a clause common to many union contracts that theoretically allows a union to ask an employer to discharge a union member who refuses to pay union dues. Since we are the union, we would be the only ones deciding whether to exercise that ability – and would be hard-pressed to find anyone who thinks that firing a resident over dues is a good idea. Additionally, as stated above, no one is required to be a union member, and non-members are not subject to union fines/discipline. The membership card itself states “membership in CIR is voluntary and is not a condition of employment”.