Most school employees must pay $1,000 or more to a private special interest group in return for the privilege of teaching children in Washington public schools.
Why? Who makes them do this? Does President Obama show his gratitude for the financial support he received by making this happen? Did the former union executive who now serves as our Superintendent of Public Instruction rig our laws to require union payment?
Nope.
Your local school board makes union dues mandatory.
Do they have to do this? Again, nope.
Steilacoom, Davenport, Dayton and a couple dozen other districts let teachers decide if the workplace services offered by the union are worth $1,000.
In Ephrata, the board specifies that those who don’t want to join the union donate to the local scholarship fund for students.
The Pioneer School Board only forces new teachers to pay, but leaves intact the freedom to choose for more senior teachers.
The Quincy board once required teachers to pay $180 for the local contract work, but didn’t make them pay the entire WEA and NEA dues amount.
Forced fees are unfair.
The highest priority of union bosses who collect dues for a living is the inclusion of a “union security clause” (forced fee) in the contract.
Employees should have the right to decide whether they approve of the actions and expenses of the union rather than being forced to pay whatever the union officials charge without a choice.
The WEA and NEA union officials admit they’re overcharging for workplace representation. Much of the excess is spent on causes, politics, marketing and pressure campaigns that teachers may oppose.
Forced fees also tip the power away from the local professionals, and toward the union bureaucracy in Federal Way.
Free choice is best.
In an era when it is getting harder to balance the interests of students with the interests of adult employees, it does not make sense to artificially amplify the voice of the union officials. The school board and superintendent’s ability to make decisions on behalf of students, families and taxpayers is impacted by the decision on mandatory or optional union payment.
Union officials who don’t have to earn the resources from voluntary members are much more likely to take extreme positions, overcharge and engage in combative tactics.
What does your school board think of forced fees?
The districts listed below are negotiating the union contract governing teachers and the district for the 2014 school year.
Please contact your school board and ask if they will give the union unaccountable cash flow, or if they will stand up for their employees.
UPDATE: email addresses for most school board members in negotiations with the union are available here.
Contact your school board and ask.
Bellingham
Blaine
Camas
Cascade
Cashmere
Central Valley
Centralia
Cheney
Clarkston
College Place
Columbia (Stevens Co)
Colville
Cosmopolis
Crescent
Creston
Davenport
Dayton
Edmonds
Endicott
Ephrata
Federal Way
Freeman
Garfield
Grand Coulee Dam
Granger
Hockinson
Hoquaim
Issaquah
Kettle Falls
Kittitas
La Center
Lacrosse
Lake Chelan
Lind
Longview
Lynden
Mabton
Manson
Mary Walker
Medical Lake
Mercer Island
Mossyrock
Naselle-Grays River
Newport
Nine Mile Falls
North Mason
Olympia
Omak
Palouse
Prosser
Pullman
Quilcene
Quincy
Riverside
Royal
San Juan Island
Shelton
Skykomish
Snohomish
Sunnyside
Tacoma
Tahoma
Tekoa
Tenino
Thorp
University Place
Wahluke
Walla Walla
Wapato
Warden
Wellpinit
White River
Winlock
Zillah
