Posted on 05/11/2007 11:53:00 AM PDT by truth49
OLYMPIA—Today, Governor Gregoire signed House Bill 2079. The bill amends a statute that requires unions to get permission from nonmembers before spending their fees on political activity. The U.S. Supreme Court is currently reviewing the constitutionality of this statute in two cases brought by teachers and the state Attorney General against the Washington Education Association.
During committee hearings legislators disregarded the Attorney General’s office warnings that the bill is vulnerable to a Constitutional challenge. In a letter sent to lawmakers, the Office of the Attorney General warned that HB 2079 could expose the state to further litigation by adopting a “constitutionally forbidden” accounting practice.
The law uses a flawed accounting system that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional in both the cases of International Association of Machinists v. Street (1961) and Abood v. Detroit Board of Education (1977).
On March 29, during the committee executive session, Sen. Margarita Prentice (D-11th) admitted that the bill’s intent is to protect union power. “In union there’s strength, and there’s a reason why unions exist, and why they have the kind of power—and I think we need to do everything we can to preserve that,” Prentice said.
The Evergreen Freedom Foundation’s Director of Labor Policy, Michael Reitz, offered the following comments:
“Today, Governor Gregoire has signed a bill that ignores the First Amendment rights of workers in order to expand union power. The bill is premature, because the U.S. Supreme Court could rule on the constitutionality of the law at any time. Signing this bill virtually guarantees continued litigation.”
“House Bill 2079 uses an accounting gimmick to gut the I-134 of its effect—all but eliminating the requirement on unions to get permission before spending nonmember dues on politics.
“By signing this bill, Governor Gregoire blatantly ignored concerns from constituents, teachers and the attorney general. If the governor and legislators were truly concerned about clarifying the law, they would have taken input from all stakeholders—not just unions.
“In another slap at the Constitutional rights of Washington citizens, Governor Gregoire also approved HB 2079’s emergency clause, which allows the bill to take effect immediately, while denying the people their constitutional right of referendum, due to the purported emergency.
“Today, Governor Gregoire has shown that she believes that denying the people their constitutional rights in order to bail out her union friends and contributors from legal penalties is an emergency.”
Additional Information
EFF Policy Highlighter: Analysis of HB 1079
Governor’s “Bill Action” scheduled for May 11, 2007
EFF Policy Highlighter: Analysis of HB 2079
Senate passes HB 2079 to preserve union “power”, EFF Press Release
Attorney General letter regarding HB 2079
"State House OKs bill on political spending of non-member union fees," Seattle Times
Tricky call for the governor, Tacoma News Tribune
In Our View: The Perfect Veto, The Columbian
Former U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige uncovers the "elephant in the room" in the current education debate in his new book, The War Against Hope: How Teachers' Unions Hurt Children, Hinder Teachers, and Endanger Public Education.[snip]
Laying out the history of teachers' unions in the United States, Paige explains how the public education system is now under the control of a monopoly with a singular intent: to protect its members, regardless of performance or merit. Teachers' unions oppose plans that empower parents to demand accountability and choice, which they see as a threat to the jobs of underperforming teachers. For the unions, many innovative reform proposals are just unacceptable.
Why is this surprising? Who do unions vote for?
Since when has Gregoire worried about disappointing the voters?
What is it with Democrat women governors. BLANK-O, Sibelius(Howard made me do it!)now Gregoire.
Are they all f%#kups?
Isn’t she the chick who stole that election a few years ago?
Rossi will kick her butt IF King County is not allowed to pull the massive election fraud it did to allow her fraudulent win in the last election!
>Why is this surprising? Who do unions vote for?<
Gregoire is a known quantity among Washingtonians. She stole an election. She releases 3-4000 felons from prison each year (she needs the votes, and don’t tell me felons didn’t vote for Gregoire!) It has been obvious since the get-go how Gregoire ‘cherishes’ the Constitutional rights of Washington citizens.
Teachers are forced to pay dues to the N.E.A.. They don’t want their money spent on what they oppose. The Communist party is alive and well in Washington.
If you don’t know how the National Education Association votes, you have been living in la la land all of your life.
Yes....I was there in Seattle and it was sickening to watch. The socialist republic of King county kept pulling all kinds of rabbits out of its ass to make sure she won. They just kept recounting the vote again and again until she was ahead then stopped.
That’s the one, and she is paying homage to the only official church in that state, the Washington Education Association.
Good question.
Not to say that woman are incapable of leadership. Obviously M. Thatcher makes the case quite well.
Perhaps some creative freeper could put together a small video on youtube showing some of the more famous gaffe’s from Blanco, Sebelius, Boxer, Patty Murray, Gregoire and of course Hillary.
The very same. Blatant, in-your-face fraud. During the so-called “recount”, heavily ‘Rat King County supposedly “found” so-called “lost” batches of ballots, something like nine or ten separate times. Just enough to put Fraudoire over the top. All started, very conveniently and coincidentally (I’m sure) by a ‘Rat activist who claimed he found out, somehow, that his ballot had not been counted because of some bogus signature verification snafu, which of course opened the floodgates of fraud.
>What is it with Democrat women governmors?<
The same thing that is wrong with Senatesitter Di-Fi, Speaker Tokyo Rose Pelosi, and Comrade candidate Hillary Clinton. With delusions of grandeur, they are above the law!
GO DINO ROSSI!
It really was a joke. I was suprised the Federal Government didn’t come in there and declare the whole thing a fraud.
Coming out of Governess Fraudaire, nothing is surprising. She will never be in trouble, though, King County will laways “find” missing ballots for her.
I believe they said, if it wasn’t for King County alone, the whole state carried Rossi in the election!
Queen Haywire is the politcal hack for the union bosses in Seattle along with Patty Murray and Fartwell to name a few.
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