The Freedom Foundation crashed the unions’ party, and they didn’t like it one bit.
Friday, Feb. 20, was supposed to be all about labor, and the unions bused hundreds of workers to the state Capitol Building in Olympia to sing songs and shake tambourines. But the Freedom Foundation stole the show by renting an airplane towing a sign saying, “No More Forced Dues – UnionInjustice.com,” and having it circle the campus during the festivities.
“That airplane is paid for by billionaires in this country!” bellowed Sen. Steve Conway (D-Tacoma), a lifelong union official who serves on the Senate’s Labor and Commerce Committee, to a chorus of boos from the attendees.
Other speakers referenced the sign stunt, and the Washington State Patrol attempted to take down the tail number of the plane, following accusations from the irate union officials that it might have been flying at too low an altitude over the Capitol.
The message was intended to remind the activists that the public-sector labor movement only exists by virtue of compulsory unionization, and the Freedom Foundation has made a priority of informing union members of their rights under last summer’s Harris v. Quinn decision in the U.S. Supreme Court to opt out of union participation.
And as usual, the unions just hate it when someone threatens to let their secret out of the bag.
