Board approves dues refund

On Tuesday, the Guild’s Executive Board voted to approve a plan to offer a 50 percent refund to members in good standing and 50 percent forgiveness to those who fell behind.

People who are now in good standing will get the rebate within the next two weeks. There who are in arrears will have until Oct. 1 to become current and still be able to receive the rebate.

For an employee in the top tier of pay classification C, the rebate will be about $900. Dues are a percentage of salary, so the rebates will also be a percentage of what employees are paid. Employees who do not become current by Oct. 1 will be forgiven half of their dues owed from April 2009 through the end of July 2011.

The union will send invoices to those in arrears within a week, detailing how much people owe and how much of their debt is being forgiven.

Those who need extra time beyond Oct. 1 to pay what they owe can be placed on a payment plan. They will have six months to get their debt paid. As long as they stick to their payment plan, they will be considered members in good standing.

The union recognizes it has been difficult for many people to keep current given that Times Union employees have not had raises in four years. The union continues to work toward a full settlement of its contract.