Posted on 09/18/2014 8:26:36 AM PDT by MichCapCon
In a video last year discussing the first year of the right-to-work law, Michigan Education Association President Steve Cook said his greatest fear was losing “thousands” of union members. That was after the group withheld information about how its members could opt out of the union.
Cook said in the video he talked to former United Auto Workers President Bob King who told him unions maintain about 94 to 95 percent of membership in right-to-work states. Cook said that wasn’t bad but added that the MEA’s claims of losing only 1 percent of membership proved they were not inept.
Fast forward a year. The MEA’s August-only opt out rule was more advertised, with teachers being notified by email that if they wanted to leave their union, they had to do so in August. The MEA revealed that while only 1,500 members had left their union in the first year of right-to-work, another 8,000 members were delinquent paying their dues. Many of those members said they knew nothing about the August-only opt-out window. The union sent some of those members to collection agencies.
And when the second August opt-out session under the right-to-work law was over, the MEA realized its “biggest fear” – another 5,000 members had dropped.
The MEA has 110,000 active members, but according to an evaluation of union contracts, only 60,000 teachers were eligible to leave the union last month since many districts rushed to extend their already-existing contracts by years so employees couldn’t opt out under right-to-work.
And earlier this month, Administrative Law Judge Julia C. Stern ruled that members of the MEA can resign from the union at any time of the year, adding that the MEA has been violating the law by enforcing its August window. Cook said in a radio interview that the August opt-out window was still valid while the MEA was in the process of appealing it. He said the process could take years to be resolved.
You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave...
Like a Roach Motel.
The president of MEA, Steve Cook, claims the August window for opting out of union extortion tactics is still a valid union rule, while the case is on appeal.
That, in practice, isn’t going to fly after this initial ruling is it?
Seems “cease and desist” should work here, until which time this ruling is overturned.
Is this bluster, or fact, coming from communist Cook?
Ha!
You would think they would just cancel their membership for not paying dues. These teachers are owned. Hope more of them wake up and shift rightwards as a result.
That is 6500 that are not directly or indirectly contributing to every flippin' DNC leaning political contribution that the MEA deems necessary as well as all the stealth programs that are political under the guys of training etc. Even if it is $200 per person, that is 1.3 million that is not going to "The Dark Side"...
My daughter recently graduated with Education and Early Child Development degrees. She had a heck of a time finding a job with a private school so as to avoid being compelled to join a teachers union. She has been successful in finding a great job with good pay at a ritzy private school in an affluent area. She’s one of the lucky ones.
Unions— extortion from members for racketeering into government favors and perks for the big brass.
PS. Anyone know what a typical say NEA dues/fees cost for a yearly Union membership?
Then there are the “voluntary” assessments/contributions for special projects.
Unions and East Germany. Building a wall to keep people from leaving.
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