MARYLAND DEMOCRAT TO INTRODUCE BILL FORCING NON-MEMBERS OF TEACHERS UNION TO PAY DUES

theblaze.com ^ | 01/14/2013 | n/a

[massmike]

As right-to-work legislation makes significant victories across the country, allowing employees to decide whether or not they want to join a union, the Maryland teachers union appears to be taking the opposite approach.

According to the Washington Examiner, the union is actively planning to make even non-union teachers pay dues in the near future.

The Washington Examiner explains:

Del. Sheila Hixson, D-Montgomery County, will introduce a bill on behalf of the Maryland State Education Association to require nonunion educators to pay a so-called fair share fee to unions equivalent to about 68 percent of the local dues. Under Maryland law, local teachers unions are required to negotiate contracts that cover all educators, whether or not they are members of the union. They also must represent nonunion educators in grievances. Association spokesman Adam Mendelson said the bill wouldn’t force people to join the union, just require them to help pay for the union benefits they receive. “All school employees benefit from those services, but there’s not a companion or complementary law for fair share that requires all employees to contribute to those benefits they enjoy,” Mendelson said. [Emphasis added] Maryland state employees have been subject to “fair share” fees since 2009, according to the Maryland Reporter, but teachers aren’t covered by the law.

A number of counties have already targeted teachers with the fees, though, and since the union already covers about 80% of Maryland teachers, the move appears to be an effort to grab the relatively small number of educators who are still not paying dues.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

How about just making sure that unions don’t have to give benefits to non-union members instead, Sheila?

Maryland “Freak State” PING!

[EDINVA]

OMG!

[reg45]

She looks like William H. Macy on a bad day.

[CAluvdubya]

As a teacher in CA, I have to pay money to the union to work.

The union here has two levels:
1) Everyone pays to work but you are not a "voting member"
2) Pay even more money, fill out a form that signs you up a a member, and you can vote.

I have never signed up. I have never joined. I always throw away any propaganda they send me. Yet, they still deduct money from my paycheck under the first reason.