Average wages, union dues less than earlier reported

An earlier article on contract negotiations between the Washington Federation of State Employees and Washington State University noted that current union dues are 1.37 percent of base salary, up to $53.29 per person per month or $639 per year. The $53.29 per month figure would represent a base pay of $46,677 or more, which is not the average income among people represented under WFSE bargaining contract.

According to WSU Institutional Research, the average annual base pay for permanent, full-time classified employees universitywide is approximately $34,576 per year. Based on that income figure and the current 1.37 percent rate, annual union dues would be about $473.69 per person, or about $592,114 per year from all 1,250 employees covered under the WFSE bargaining agreement (assuming a union security clause is approved). 

WSU Today apologies for any confusion.