Being an officer of the United Autoworkers (UAW) can carry with it a big salary.
Although much of the union’s revenue comes from dues paying members, most of the revenue goes to officials’ salaries and expenses.
These officials command a salary that puts them in the upper tier of wage earners. In fact, legal filings by the UAW show that more than half of the union’s officers make $200,000 or more a year.
Take the UAW Vice President, for example. The latest available filing from the UAW’s LM-2 Form shows VP Cynthia Estrada was paid $403,300 a year. The Secretary-Treasurer was paid $305,630. Regional Directors pay ranged as high as $280,811.
President Shawn Fain has not been at the top of the UAW long enough to make the latest LM-2 filing, but if he is paid as much as his predecessor, former UAW President Ray Curry, his union income plus payments from the UAW Skill Development & Training Program could total as much as $454,385.
Forbes magazine estimates that would put him in the top 1% of all wager earners in his home state, which makes you wonder who exactly Fain is referring to when he wears that “Eat the Rich” T-shirt.
Do you really want to send part of every paycheck to a union to support the salaries of these officials? The decision is up to you.