"The state’s civil service system, among the strongest in the country, would remain in place. State and local employees could continue to bargain for base pay, they would not be able to bargain over other compensation measures. Local police, fire and state patrol would be exempted from the changes. Other reforms will include state and local governments not collecting union dues, annual certification will be required in a secret ballot, and any employee can opt out of paying union dues. "
Right now, if you are a teacher in Wisconsin, you are automatically part of the union. Your dues are taken out by the state (just like your income taxes) and passed on, whatever your opinion of the matter, and there is no mechanism to vote to get rid of the union if the workers are not satisfied by their representation.
40% of the teachers may have called in sick, but what about the 60% who stayed to work? Are they all happy with the union? Don't they deserve a say?
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(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-02 12:01 pm (UTC)It seems no news outlet is reporting the compulsory dues, nor how they are collected in Wisconsin. I had to dig to find this resource:
http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us/journal_media_detail.asp?prid=5622&locid=177
"The state’s civil service system, among the strongest in the country, would remain in place. State and local employees could continue to bargain for base pay, they would not be able to bargain over other compensation measures. Local police, fire and state patrol would be exempted from the changes. Other reforms will include state and local governments not collecting union dues, annual certification will be required in a secret ballot, and any employee can opt out of paying union dues. "
Right now, if you are a teacher in Wisconsin, you are automatically part of the union. Your dues are taken out by the state (just like your income taxes) and passed on, whatever your opinion of the matter, and there is no mechanism to vote to get rid of the union if the workers are not satisfied by their representation.
40% of the teachers may have called in sick, but what about the 60% who stayed to work? Are they all happy with the union? Don't they deserve a say?