Dues

Every month, the UAW will take a portion of your paycheck as a membership fee.

Overall, dues are equivalent to the pay of 2.5 hours of work each month and were raised in 2022. Dues are set by a vote at the UAW’s national convention, rather than your plant deciding on how high or low you want dues to be.

Theoretically, these dues pay for your representation by the union. However, dues are also the main source of funding for all of the UAW’s expenses – including the salaries of union officers. In 2023, the UAW paid its officers and staff around $86 million in salaries, and over 500 of the UAW’s officers and staffers make over six figures. The UAW spends millions more on things like travel, hotels, and political advocacy. 

Source: Center for Union Facts

Overall, the UAW’s total spending has more than doubled over the past decade, reaching $470 million in 2023. Yet, the UAW’s membership is at the lowest level since the great recession – and the union is doing a poor job at protecting the jobs of its remaining autoworkers.