No one pays dues until the union membership has voted to ratify a contract. Resident unions have never ratified a contract with benefits that do not outweigh the cost of dues.
- CIR dues are 1.6% of base pay and are used to support the infrastructure of collective bargaining (e.g. pay for things like contract negotiations, PR/media support, and legal representation).
- 1.6% = $48-$67/pay period = $96-$134/mo = $1150-$1609/yr (PGY1 – PGY7)
- Common negotiations include salary increases (e.g. UCSD won a 6% salary increase) or housing stipends (UCLA has a $12,000/year stipend) or even improved meal stipends ($3000/year at UCLA) which would already far outweigh the cost of dues.
No one is required to join a union, but resident non-members will still receive the union-negotiated benefits. At a private sector hospital like Stanford, non-members are typically required to pay a “fair share” fee to cover the costs of representation, which is slightly less than dues (1.4%) and is for benefits/services received by non members of the union that are germane to collective bargaining. However, non-members would not have a vote in any union negotiations or actions, or other member-only rights and benefits.