Wednesday, September 23, 2009

If It's Such A Good Deal, Why The Compulsion?

I believe that Americans should be allowed to join labor unions if they want to. I also believe that Americans should be allowed to quit labor unions if they want to. I believe in free association.

Not all Americans agree with me:

A group of Louisville educators has sued three teachers unions, saying the groups force members to stay on union rolls and pay dues despite attempts to leave the labor organizations...

Teachers employed in Jefferson County are automatically enrolled as union members and pay union dues unless they register an objection to Jefferson County union officials. Teachers are permitted to resign from formal union membership during a ten day period after an individual teacher's contract is signed or after the union agrees to a new contract with the local school board.

The suit alleges if a teacher does not register an objection to union membership within either period, he or she is required to remain a union member until the expiration of the union's five-year contract with the local school board.
I can hardly wait to see the defense of such a rule.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Remember, the left *claims* to be for *choice*! But that choice apparently only applies to a woman's *choice* to have an abortion. For everything else, the collective left will make your *choices* for you, such as to whether or not you have to belong to a union.

Have can anyone in the left defend their over-the-top hypocrisy?

chicopanther

mmazenko said...

I tend to agree, Darren. Though they should then probably negotiate their contracts, including schedules and benefits packages.

I'm with you on paying only for the negotiating rights and even legal protections - though individual teachers can get that on their own.

It's the unions growing beyond the basic idea of collective bargaining that's the problem, and I completely agree with those concerns. Especially the lobbying and work by the NEA at the national level.

Christine said...

I am forced to be an agency fee payer in San Diego. I do not agree with anything my union stands for. I am a member of AAE where I can get legal protection that is far better than what the union offers.