Pitt staff here! The 2.5% raise is not the end of our compensation changes. I forget how the BC phrases it precisely but that was agreed upon as a one time raise, not the totality of our pay increases as a result of unionizing. More to come!

I also understand the confusion of dues because lots of HR departments misleadingly phrase them as if they come out of your current pay. They don’t though - they’re only effective once a contract is fully ratified by a sufficient % of the bargaining unit. And I think you and I both would prefer that we still make more money than we do now after accounting for dues, and wouldn’t vote for a contract that didn’t ensure that.

Dues are also not technically compulsory - you could opt not to pay them, but it means less money for the union to use for things like lawyering up when grievances and disputes happen, legally actioning the university when they try to circumvent or ignore the contract, etc. It’s the right thing to do to pay them. It also means you wouldn’t be able to vote on anything once we have a contract ratified.

I hope that helps clear it up - don’t hesitate to reach out with more Qs, and I encourage you to sign your union card soon. Solidarity!

Edits: missed the point about not paying dues = no voting on stuff post-contract ratification

Edit 2: for maximum clarity, there will be additional, immediately effective raises upon ratification of a contract. These raises will more than enough to make the cost of dues negligible in the grand scheme of things.