Follow-up to the Letter to TWU International

There are nearly 7,000 active dues-paying members, and almost 400 of us stand united in saying no to this unfair dues increase.

For those of you who recently signed the petition, thank you for your support. I believe in fairness between leadership and membership, with equal representation for both. With the right leadership, our union can be truly successful.

That being said, our fight continues, and I want to provide an update. Tomorrow, April 1st, the dues increase is set to take effect if the IAC has approved the amendment. This morning, I sent a follow-up email to TWU International executives regarding my previous letter, requesting an update or at the very least a response to our urgent concerns about the dues increase. I am currently awaiting a reply.

I also attended the March 26th membership meeting, where out of 67 attendees, nearly half were union leadership—highlighting the lack of engagement from members. Additionally, I was informed that some members were denied last-minute access, which I strongly oppose. As a 24/7 operation, our union should ensure the flexibility for dues-paying members to join at any point during the meeting.

During the meeting, I raised several questions about how the proposed increase was calculated. According to the International Constitution of the Transport Workers Union (TWU), dues are generally determined using the standard calculation of "two times the hourly rate." However, some local unions have agreements with TWU International that allow for variations, such as using a "weighted average" of hourly rates within the local. I also requested an annual dues fee comparison for each wage increase based on the percentage negotiated in our CBA. In response, Steven Miller, our Treasurer, agreed to publish a report with a comparison chart.

The dues increase is just one of many issues where we must hold union leadership accountable. There is also a serious lack of education and engagement, with little effort to foster open discussions, dialogues, or feedback surveys with transparent follow-up.

Once again, I appreciate your support. Please continue to share this petition. I will provide updates as they arise. If you have any questions or would like to collaborate, please don’t hesitate to contact me.