FAQs

What does being in the union involve?

The union is only what we make of it, and if you want to be involved, there’s a role for you. All members receive email newsletters from our local president; are invited (and strongly encouraged) to attend monthly chapter meetings; and are given the opportunity to vote on our contract every two years. But our members do far more than that. If you’re interested in taking a more active role in our local—whether as a steward, a conference delegate, or something else—we’d love your help. Just speak to an officer or steward to learn more and get involved. 

Why should I become a member?

In the most individual terms, you should become a member so that you can have a say in your own wages, benefits, and working conditions. If your position is represented by the union, then the contract we negotiate determines these elements of your working life, whether or not you belong to the union. Only union members have a voice in that contract, however. Through monthly meetings, pre-bargaining surveys, bargaining updates, and the final contract vote, members control the direction of contract negotiations. Non-members have limited opportunities for input or even regular updates. 

In the bigger picture, the union's leverage in contract negotiations--in other words, our ability to win the kinds of improvements to wages and benefits that can make a concrete difference in the lives of MSU staff--varies directly with the size and engagement of our membership. Ultimately, whether university management concedes to our demands depends on whether we could realistically organize a strike, and whether that strike would prevent the university from functioning as normal. So if you want to see better wages and benefits, your best bet is to join the union, and to encourage your coworkers to do the same.

How do I join FOCUS?

Simply fill out the MFPE membership form. Our local number is 8521.

How much are dues?

MFPE charges membership dues each month according to a five-tiered salary schedule. Dues are determined each year by union members like you at our Annual Conference. The table below lists dues as of September 1, 2022. Local dues assessed by the Federation of Classified University Staff are established annually by the FOCUS membership.

Do dues cost more than my union-negotiated raise?

Not even close!. The chart below compares monthly dues obligations to the value for a full time employee of the three most recent union-negotiated raises. Our most recent union-negotiated raises are worth more than five times the cost of dues!

Where do my dues dollars go?

Local dues support the work members do on this campus, including providing lunch at meetings and subsidizing member travel for union business. MFPE dues fund our statewide union’s staff, including our field representative who represents our interests at work and our staff in Helena who do everything from basic administrative work to growing our union to representing us at the Capitol and across the state. Ask a steward if you’d like more information. National dues paid to NEA and AFT mostly come right back to us as a mix of ongoing and short-term financial support. No dues dollars are given to political candidates--all political contributions come from MFPE's independently funded PAC, not from dues. 

Click here to view the 2022 audit of FOCUS MSU's local account.

Why should I pay dues if I don't have to?

It's true that members of our bargaining unit are fully covered by our contract and are entitled to representation whether or not they pay dues. However, there are several important reasons to opt in to union membership and dues:

• The union's power is our membership. Our credibility and leverage in negotiations for wages and benefits depend entirely on the size and engagement of our membership. The more members we have, the more credibly we speak for the staff we represent. As our membership grows, therefore, so does our ability to win meaningful improvements to wages and benefits. If you want to earn more money at MSU, and if you want your colleagues to earn more money and be more likely to stay rather than leave their jobs, join the union, and encourage your coworkers to do so too. 

• Effective representation costs money. When things go bad at work, MFPE staff step in to ensure that staff are treated fairly by their supervisors. MFPE staff also help keep our union running, assisting with everything from collective bargaining to our local organizing efforts to our day-to-day dealings with university administration. Those folks don't come for free, and neither do all the benefits they help us to win and protect for our members. When folks choose not to join the union, they choose not to contribute to the expense of making MSU a better place to work. And if everyone makes that choice, the union slowly dies.

• When you benefit from the union's work but choose not to contribute, you effectively take advantage of your coworkers. As discussed above, the union only exists to the extent that we have dues-paying members. Those dues-paying members are your coworkers here at MSU. Is it fair to ask them to pay while choosing not to do the same? 

• You have to join to have a voice in the union. Everyone in the bargaining unit is covered by our contract, but only members get to shape that contract. Collective bargaining begins with our members working together to set our priorities. It ends with our members voting on the deal reached between our bargaining team and management. Our leadership at the local and state levels is also elected directly by members. If you want to have a say in your wages, benefits, working conditions, and everything else our union does, then join the union.

• Members get access to a wide range of financial benefits through our national affiliates, NEA and AFT. Special deals are available on everything from mortgages and insurance to travel bookings, student debt support, cell phone plans, and online shopping websites. Learn more at MFPE's member benefits page.

Why don’t we win bigger raises through collective bargaining? 

Your collective bargaining team tries to get the biggest raise possible in each contract. Our leverage at the table, however, depends entirely on the state of our membership. The larger and more organized our membership--in other words, the more likely we are to be able to pull off a strike that would shut down the university--the more leverage we have to demand more money from the legislature and university management. 

Why hasn’t the union gone on strike? 

Strikes are the most powerful tools that unionized working people have to fight for fair wages and a better life. To make a strike work, however, requires that a union’s membership be engaged and united. Our stewards are working every day to build a stronger union--if you want to see us get there, contact a steward or officer for more information on getting involved.

Does the union always endorse Democrats? 

No. MFPE, our statewide affiliate, invites all candidates running for the state legislature and statewide offices to participate in candidate interviews. Participating candidates are asked questions about the legislative priorities voted on by MFPE members at our annual conference. Only candidates who participate and who commit to supporting our priorities can be endorsed. If you’d like to help conduct these interviews, just let your local president know--we always need more help! 

In 2020 and 2022, MFPE endorsed several Republican candidates for state legislature (including MFPE members), as well as an Independent for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022. Our political endorsements are not about party but about protecting the rights of workers and supporting the public services we provide. 

Whom can I talk to if I have a problem at work/with my supervisor? 

You can contact any of our stewards or officers or our field representative. You can find contact info here. In the meantime, make sure to check out Your Contract, Your Rights for immediate advice on how to protect yourself.