These are the graphs, stats, and hard numbers that the Ad Hoc Finance Committee has produced to support the Fund the Fight campaign. Find more information about the proposed across-the-board 3% dues rate on our other Fund the Fight pages!
The total annual income and expenses from the 2011-12 fiscal year until the 2023-24 fiscal year (the latest year with complete data) are available in Figure 1, below.
Figure 1. Total annual income and expenses of CUPE 3903 from the 2011-12 fiscal year until the 2023-24 fiscal year (the latest year with complete data; i.e., Mar. 1, 2011 to Feb. 29, 2024). Figures are rounded to the nearest dollar. Note that, for ease of reading, the Y-axis is zoomed in to begin at $1,000,000. Total annual income has remained relatively stable over time. Total annual expenses have increased dramatically over time.
The cost of staff has increased over time because our Union believes in compensating staff appropriately for their labour with yearly salary increases in accordance to inflation. We also hired one additional part-time staff member in response to workload issues and member need (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Total annual staff and personnel expenses incurred by CUPE 3903 from the 2011-12 fiscal year until the 2023-24 fiscal year (the latest year with complete data; i.e., Mar. 1, 2011 to Feb. 29, 2024). Figures are rounded to the nearest dollar. There is an increase in total annual staff and personnel expenses over time.
Figure 3. Inflation rates over time. This graph is from the Bank of Canada page on inflation [hyperlinked].
Figure 4. Total annual legal expenses incurred by CUPE 3903 from the 2011-12 fiscal year until the 2023-24 fiscal year (the latest year with complete data; i.e., Mar. 1, 2011 to Feb. 29, 2024). Figures are rounded to the nearest dollar. There is an increase in total annual legal expenses over time.
Figure 5. Group means for total annual legal expenses from the 2011-12 fiscal year until the 2023-24 fiscal year (the latest year with complete data), separated by fiscal years before (2011-12 to 2018-19; n = 8) and after (2019-20 to 2023-24; n = 5) 2019. An analysis of variance showed that the effect of era (pre-2019 or post-2019) was significant, F(1,7.44) = 19.1, p = .003.
Figure 1 generally shows stability in income over time, with a spike in 2017-18 and the lower income in 2018-19 due to the 2018 strike. Note that dues income has remained relatively stable for the last several years. This observation is preliminarily confirmed when tested on a subset of the data available (Figure 6).
Figure 6. ANOVA on a subset of the data testing the hypothesis that the amount of dues paid across all units per month increased from year-to-year. There was no statistically significant effect of rate year on dues income (F(4, 116) = 1.59, p = 0.181). Number of months evaluated for each rate year: 2020 = 6; 2021 = 12; 2022 = 12; 2023 = 12; 2024 = 4. Data for October 2024 to December 2024 was extrapolated based on data from the employer.
What can explain the lack of change in dues income over time, which ultimately amounts to a loss of income when we would expect increases? This lack of change is not driven by change in membership (r(41) = 0.011, p = 0.907; Figure 7A) or reduced individual income (computed as the average dues payment per individual per month; r(41) = -0.56, p = 0.537; Figure 7B) despite marginally higher wage rates across time, as per the collective agreements.
A.
B.
Figure 7. Membership data and average monthly dues payments from March 2021 to December 2024 (data from October 2024 to December 2024 is extrapolated based on data from the employer). (A) The number of members per unit per month. (B) The average monthly dues payment per member per unit per month. Error bars represent standard deviation.