Dues Guide and Membership FAQ

What are Dues?

The Canadian Animation Guild is funded by our member's working dues. The services we provide to members and the enforcement of our collective agreement is dependant on the collection and management of dues. Our members pay two types of dues:

Working Dues: 2% of the member's wage (when the member is working at a unionized studio)

Quarterly Dues: $80/quarter or $288/year if they are paid in the first quarter (a 10% savings!) 

Both types of dues are tax-deductible, so workers will receive quite a bit of them back at tax time.

What is a Quarter?

"Quarters" Refer to the financial quarters of the year. They are four equal periods of time.

• Quarter 1 is January to March
• Quarter 2 is April to June
• Quarter 3 is July to September
• Quarter 4 is October to December

Why are there two types of dues?

We have two types of dues because it allows for workers to remain members of CAG938 when they are not working at a unionized studio and continue to take advantage of CAG938 benefits during their time away. Once multiple studios unionize under CAG938, we will be able to use the quarterly dues as a method to provide portable extended health benefits to members as they move between studios by tying their benefits to their union membership rather than to just their workplace.

When do I need to pay my dues?

Working dues will start being collected by your employer when you start working. You will begin paying your Quarterly Dues in the quarter after you join the Canadian Animation Guild. (eg: If you join in Quarter 1, you pay your first quarterly dues in Quarter 2.)

Quarterly dues become payable for each quarter on the first day of that quarter, and they are due by the last day of that same quarter.

• Quarter 1 is payable January 1st to March 31st
• Quarter 2 is payable April 1st to June 30th
• Quarter 3 is payable July 1st to September 30th
• Quarter 4 is payable October 1st to December 31st

How do I pay my Quarterly Dues?

1. Go to cag938.ca and click "Member Portal"
2. Click on the "Log in" Button
3. An account will have been created for you using the personal email address you provided to your employer when you were hired or the email address you provided on your membership application. Use the "Forgot Password" button to reset your password and log in to your account. DO NOT log in with Facebook or Google.
4. Click on the "Join" Button
5. Follow the on-screen instructions from here to pay your quarterly dues.

If you like, you can set up automatic payments to pay your dues. Please note however that automatic payments for quarterly dues are processed on January 1st, April 1st, July 1st, and October 1st. If you are paying for a quarter late, you will need to manually pay that quarter or contact the Business Agent (businessagent@cag938.ca) to have a manual invoice assigned to you.

What if I pay my Quarterly Dues late?

Quarterly dues are considered late after the end of the quarter they are owed in.

If payment is still not made before the end of the relevant quarter, the member will be considered "Not In Good Standing" with the union and will not be permitted to work at a facility unionized under CAG 938. Members not in good standing are reported to their employer and action may be taken against those members up to termination of their employment. Additionally, a $50 late fee will be assigned to their accounts. A member not in good standing can regain their good standing by paying all dues and fees owing on their account.

There are further consequences for late payment, up to and including expulsion from the Canadian Animation Guild. Details can be read in the Member in Arrears Policy.

What if I can't pay my Quarterly Dues?

We completely understand if a member is facing financial difficulties and cannot pay their quarterly dues for certain periods of time. We have a Dues Payment Assistance Policy, to help these members access financial aid until they are back on their feet.

Members in need of assistance are asked to fill out the Dues Payment Assistance Application Form and return it to a member of the executive board for approval at the next regularly scheduled executive board meeting.

• Dues Payment Assistance Policy
• Dues Payment Assistance Application Form

Can I be a member of the Canadian Animation Guild if I leave my unionized workplace?

Yes! We encourage our members to maintain their membership while not working at a unionized studio so that they can continue to access the benefits of their membership that exist outside of the collective agreements at their workplace. Your membership can be maintained simply by continuing to pay your quarterly dues.

Yes, you can step away from your CAG 938 membership. This is done via a system called "Honourable Withdrawal" which can be taken once a member has paid all dues and fees that they owe CAG.

To request Honourable Withdrawal, please write an email to our local's Secretary, Eddy Pedreira (hw.requests@cag938.ca), and state that you would like to take honourable withdrawal. Also, include your most recent end date at a unionized studio, so that we can confirm that your dues are up to date.

Members on Honourable Withdrawal will have their memberships reactivated when they return to work at a unionized studio.

Members on Honourable Withdrawal will no longer be considered active, and will not be able to access certain union benefits until they return.

More Questions? If you did not find what you are looking for here, please contact the Business Agent (businessagent@cag938.ca), the Senior Steward (seniorsteward@cag938.ca) or your shop stewards for more information.