My First PPTA Remit

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Unions Series

At the end of last year, I took over as the Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA) Representative at my local school Branch. This is an unpaid, voluntary role where you work to disseminate news to branch members and to assist in voting on collective agreements etc. Unsurprisingly, it is actually quite a bit of work, but I love it. Unions feel extremely important to me, and I believe in them quite thoroughly as a concept. You only need to look at countries where unions are being attacked to see how workers (real human people) are taken advantage of, to see why we need them.

In speaking to union members this year while our collective bargaining has stalled, I heard a lot of frustration. Frustration both about the bargaining, the perceived weakness of the PPTA, and the relative costliness of our subscription fees. Interested, I looked up a list of unions in Aotearoa (New Zealand) and hunted around for the fees that each union pays.

PPTA Dues & The Market

I didn’t have time to search up the dues for all 110 registered unions, so instead opted to sort by membership and check the top 20. We were only one of two that calculated dues as a percentage of salary. The rest all used a flat rate that often varied depending on the number of hours you worked.

I attempted to prorate the flat rates to match Step 11 of the PPTA Secondary Teachers Collective Agreement (STCA). This is $90,000 NZD as of March 2022 (the last time it changed).

Union Membership Annual Dues
New Zealand Public Service Association Te Pukenga Here Tikanga Mahi Incorporated 75,419 $621.40
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation Incorporated 50,658 $587.76
New Zealand Educational Institute Te Riu Roa Incorporated 50,259 $704.00
E TÅ« Incorporated 48,624 $445.64
First Union Incorporated 30,554 $452.40
New Zealand Post-Primary Teachers Association Incorporated 19,300 $900.00
New Zealand Meat Workers And Related Trades Union Incorporated 12,312
New Zealand Police Association Incorporated 11,370 $614.64
The New Zealand Tertiary Education Union Te Hautu Kahurangi O Aotearoa Incorporated 9,921 $720.00
New Zealand Dairy Workers Union - Te Runanga Wai U Incorporated 8,211
Te Uniana O Nsnz Incorporated 5,895 $235.00
Unite Incorporated 5,316 $364.00
Association Of Salaried Medical Specialists Incorporated 5,141 $1,200.00
Rail And Maritime Transport Union Incorporated 5,004 $457.60
Association Of Professionals And Executive Employees Incorporated 4,554 $501.60
Amalgamated Workers Union New Zealand Southern Incorporated 3,814
Northern Amalgamated Workers Union Incorporated 3,584
Corrections Association Of New Zealand Incorporated 3,480 $465.00
New Zealand Air Line Pilots Association Industrial Union Of Workers Incorporated 2,655 $810.00

Horrifyingly, you can see that secondary school teachers pay the second most in union fees out of the top 20 in Aotearoa. This is compounded when you realise that many people with higher salaries and more aggressive and successful unions pay far less in subscription fees. The only union that asks for more in dues is ASMS - the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists which is for senior doctors and dentists. Clearly, they are in a salary league of their own (200k+, I’m sure).

Where Does It Go?

Well, you can read the financial statements of the PPTA online and see a detailed breakdown, but, here is a summary.

Over the past three years, the PPTA has made a large surplus, As of March 2022 they have $5,795,094 cash at the bank and $11,185,491 in investments. It, therefore, stands to reason that our dues could be reduced to 0.75%.

If dues were 0.75% in the 2022 financial year ending March 2022 the PPTA would still have received $9,675,190.50 in subscriptions. This would be a decrease of $1,510,300.50. Per the summary table below this would still have left the PPTA with a surplus of $1,196,145.50.

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Subscriptions 9,897,916 10,518,916 11,441,529 12,397,389 12,900,254
Surplus 586,193 26,052 1,121,313 2,539,027 2,706,446
Reference Reference Reference Reference Reference

0.75% Dues in the Real World

For someone on Step 11, their annual dues would be reduced from $900 to $675. While this may at first glance seem a small number, to many PPTA members, this could make a large difference. Given the current significant rise in the cost of living this change, even if for a limited time will make a positive material difference for many and show the PPTA is responsive to the needs of its members.

Where To From Here?

I did the only reasonable thing that a representative of my union colleagues would do and drafted a remit to request that our dues be reduced from 1% of annual salary to 0.75%. Now, the PPTA is nothing if not democratic, so it is important that these things are voted on and debated. The first step is for my local branch to decide if a majority are in favour of us even asking the PPTA to change the fees. One Google Form later and we are voting, excellent.

If I am quite honest, I have hopes that this will gain a majority at my branch, but I do not expect it to pass at the Annual Conference. But that is often not the point of these things, the point is for the PPTA to feel the pressure of the membership to be responsive to our needs and our desires. After all, our dues are what employ them. We are their bosses, not the other way around. If the executive of a union does not represent you, you kick them to the curb.

You Want to Participate?

I have good news for you, I have a template of the remit, a template email to send to your branch members, and a template Google Form. Get stuck in, get your members the representation they deserve and fight for your rights!