Posted on 08/25/2004 10:15:00 AM PDT by truth49
OLYMPIA, WA—The Evergreen Freedom Foundation (EFF) filed a petition today with the Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) on behalf of public employees requesting an administrative rule change that would allow non-union employees to participate in workplace decisions that directly affect their employment. EFF filed the petition after receiving reports of exclusion from many public employees.
Public employees have the option to decline union membership, but are often required by law to pay dues for union workplace representation. Many workers refuse to join a union because of concerns with the union’s political and ideological agenda.
Despite paying for union representation, non-members are discriminated against for not supporting the union’s political activity. Some union officials deny these employees the right to vote on issues that directly affect the terms and conditions of employment, such as ratification of contracts, decisions on work calendars and selection of employee benefits. “Since these are precisely the issues that I am paying my fee for, I should be able to vote on them,” said De Ford Cochran, a teacher at Sequoia Middle School in Kent.
Not only have employees been denied the right to vote on employment issues, but some union officials have even withheld meeting minutes, vote results and relevant publications from non-union employees.
“Local unions are obligated to provide fair representation to all employees in the bargaining unit,” said Jami Lund, EFF’s Paycheck Protection Manager. “Non-union employees pay for representation, but union officials penalize them and often deny them a voice in important decisions.”
(Excerpt) Read more at effwa.org ...
ping
EFF BYMP ;)
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