PSAC is updating the default level of dues from $20 per pay to $35 for full time employees and from $20 to $12.50 for part-time employees as of March 1, 2023.

It will only affect new members hired on or after March 1, 2023 who work for Treasury Board (EB, PA, SV, TC, FB groups), and Agencies such as CRA, Parks Canada and CFIA. This does not apply to members in Directly Chartered Locals (DCL).

This change will have no impact on members already paying dues before March 1, 2023.  

Understanding the default rate

As the amount in monthly union dues can vary greatly from one member to another, PSAC has provided guidance to compensation advisors to start the union dues at a default amount adjusted based on employees’ status as full-time or part-time. This is an interim amount to be paid until such time as your correct dues have been calculated by PSAC.

To do this, PSAC receives information from your employer that will allow it to determine the amount in union dues you should be paying. This is based on the 1st step salary of your classification and the various dues rates set at your local, component and PSAC level. If the information provided by your employer to PSAC is insufficient (for example, the employer does not provide your classification), it is impossible for PSAC to determine your dues. Your dues may remain at the default amount for longer than necessary until all the information is received.

The correct calculation of your union dues is also related to whether you have been allocated to the correct component and local. This may take up to 3 months, on average.
When a PSAC member starts a job in the federal public service, the employer’s pay system starts deducting a minimum dues amount immediately with what is known as a default level of dues. Later, the employer will deduct the difference between the default dues and the actual dues amount back to the date of hire.

Until PSAC receives the required information from the employer, it uses the default rate to start dues payments in order to reduce the amount of any arrears the member might owe, once the actual rate is calculated and applied. This update will help reduce the typical gap between default and actual dues, minimizing dues recovery.

For more information about membership dues, please see our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.