Covert attack on teacher's union

[madmusic]

The U.S. Supreme Court just took a case on using union dues for politics without "permission."

They Association of American Educators is a fundie covert group back by Dobson and Focus on the Family that is trying to cut the political clout of teachers by cutting their funding.

Is there anything they won't stoop to, any crack they have infected?

[Dinger]

1. Interesting. Do You Have A Link?

Thanks

[Wonk]

3. Here's a link

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/26/AR2006092600983.html

[whistle]

2. No surprise here when you consider that America is becoming fascistic

...in almost every respect, so one of the characteristics of becoming a fscist country has to do with labor union suppression:

Labor Power is Suppressed
Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed .

<see more snip>
The 14 Characteristics of Fascism
by Lawrence Britt
Spring 2003
Free Inquiry magazine


Political scientist Dr. Lawrence Britt recently wrote an article about fascism ("Fascism Anyone?," Free Inquiry, Spring 2003, page 20). Studying the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile), Dr. Britt found they all had 14 elements in common. He calls these the identifying characteristics of fascism. The excerpt is in accordance with the magazine's policy.

The 14 characteristics are:

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
4. Supremacy of the Military
5. Rampant Sexism
6. Controlled Mass Media
7. Obsession with National Security
8. Religion and Government are Intertwined
9. Corporate Power is Protected
10. Labor Power is Suppressed
11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
14. Fraudulent Elections

<more>
http://www.veteransforpeace.org/The_14_characteristics_030303.htm

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. This isn't about suppressing unions

I agree that is a problem but this case is about spending dues money for political causes.

[whistle]

6. I guess I was looking at it from the standpoint of misappropriating

...<in other words stealing the funds to go to political groups not supportive of union policies> and thus diverting monies that the union could use for the benefit of its members. That way, over a period of time, members become discouraged and leave the union, and then the union eventually falls apart. Not outright suppression, but covert suppression.

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. Yes excellent point

[SharonAnn]

8. Organizations do that to promote their causes. Businesses do that

and they don't ask my permission, as a customer or as an employee.

I belong to many organizations that spend money on political causes. I expect them to do that! That's the point of the organizations, to promote specific causes and that includes political support.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

9. but the problem with teachers' unions

is that you don't get a choice about paying dues and in some states you get no choice about being a member. The arguement here is that this is an 'un'voluntary contribution. If a company or a church does this it is with voluntary contributions of the owner/church members. A business owner cannot require an employee to give money to causes that they do not support.

sP

[proud2BlibKansan]

15. Yep that's it in a nutshell

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. But union dues are paid so the union can negotiate

your contract. Period. What if you don't agree with the politics of a union? I used to be an officer in a teachers union and we lost a lot of members when our national union came out in favor of choice. Most of the deeply religious teachers don't join the union for that reason only.

[Igel]

13. That's not entirely true.

It varies by union and by state. I've only even been in one union, as a teaching assistant at U. Oregon.

There were two union rates: The first was a stripped-down minimalist union dues rate; it covered negotiating expenses, office rent and supplies for maintaining the union. Whatever was necessary for collective bargaining--and they had to document the expenses, or at least show they were reasonable. The second rate included outreach and lobbying efforts, political contributions and other support for selected politicians, voter registration drives, and a lot of other stuff that went to member representation in some wider sense, but not to collective bargaining narrowly construed.

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. Money for lobbying

by federal law may not come from union dues. Was the second rate voluntarily? It is where I live. This lawsuit is challenging that law that prohibits unions from using dues money for lobbying, etc.

[Igel]

16. This was in '89,

and the lobbying was strictly at the state level, IIRC. Since it was a state-funded university, the state funding levels directly affected the employees in the union. I think the staff's union also had a lobbyist in Salem. Seems like an odd thing to ban, esp. if the money was voluntarily donated.

The law might have changed since then to prohibit the state lobbying, or the federal law might only apply at the federal level (I have no idea, I haven't had a job in the last 15 years that had a union covering it).

The higher rate at UO was entirely voluntary back then, since membership in the union was entirely obligatory. When you filled out the paperwork to be hired, there was a couple of boxes listing the two fee levels, and what each one covered. Entirely positive check-off, but if you checked neither the paperwork bounced.

[proud2BlibKansan]

17. In this case, the dues money is coming from teachers

who do not belong to the union but are being charged by the union for negotiating their contract.

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. I have been following this case.

It's a bit more complicated.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to decide whether public employee unions must get special permission to spend some workers' dues on political causes, a case testing limits on labor activism just before the 2008 presidential campaign.

The justices accepted an appeal from the state of Washington that involves fees paid to the Washington Education Association by teachers who declined to join the union.

Those workers still can be charged dues by the union to help pay for labor negotiations that affect them. But they can't be forced to pay for the union's political activism, under a string of Supreme Court rulings that reach back nearly 30 years.

At issue is whether the union needs teachers to say ``yes'' before the fees can be used for political causes or whether teachers must specifically object to having a portion of the fees spent for that purpose.

more . . .
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,,-6107580,00.html

I am a teacher and I support this law. Unions should not use dues money for political causes. Here is one reason why - There is a new union representing public school employees formed in my area by fundies whackos. If I was hired in a district where that union negotiates the contract, I can be forced to pay a negotiation fee to this union if I choose not to join it. No way would I want to support the political causes this particular union would be supporting.

[madmusic]

7. Fine, if political churches lose their tax exemption at the same time.

The only reason teachers are more liberal is because the more education a person gets, the more liberal their views, probably because they are better able to see through high-school inculcation.

[ck4829]

10. K&R