Posted on 06/09/2010 12:20:53 PM PDT by LoneStarGI
A retired U.S. Marine who runs a Massachusetts high school's ROTC program says he faces termination if he doesn't pay a $500 union fee by next week, a levy he refuses to pay because he already receives medical and dental benefits from the military.
Maj. Stephen Godin, senior naval science instructor at the Naval Junior ROTC Unit at North High School in Worcester, Mass., told FoxNews.com he has been teaching for the Educational Association for Worcester for 15 years -- including 14 at North High School -- without having to join the union or pay an "agency fee" toward the cost of collective bargaining.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
$500.00 fee. Highway robbery.
It is, he could always decide to go “fair share” and have a lesser amount donated to a charity. I do, because I don’t want my money going to support ultra-looney liberal political causes.
“The main business of any union is to collect union dues.”
Man, you got THAT right. After I resigned from MY union (musician’s)I not only could pocket their monthly extortion money, but I also got better jobs, better pay, and more respect from the employers. They were delighted to NOT have to see their money going to the union.
The unions have been doing that at the casinos in Vegas forever. People are turned away if they seek a job where there is a union.
Jee, is it any surprise that the most liberal states are all ‘forced unionism’ states, and happen to have some of the worst employment and budgets in the country right now. That’s a great chart on that site.
I noticed that too, fifteen years and NOW they are trying to sqweeze him. What changed? I’m guessing that whoever it was that left it alone retired or moved to a different position and the replacement has decided to make an issue of it.
Pretty stupid to get into a public pissing match with the military over $500. It’s not worth the negative publicity in the current anti-public employee union atmosphere. Somebody is truly tone deaf at the union hq.
Unions blew over 10 million yesterday. They need the cash. Dues could be going up for all union members, real quick.
“Unions blew over 10 million yesterday. They need the cash. Dues could be going up for all union members, real quick.”
Looks like the unions got what they paid for.........
LOL
Eggs,,,,, I could tell you stories about the musician’s union,,,,,,,!
**I’m disgusted by the notion that my employment would be contingent upon me having to join a union or else paying a fee.**
Being one of the few Conservatives in the Entertainment “BIZ” is even more disgusting, as I have to belong to 3 of the worthless Thugocracies!!
http://www.nrtw.org/a/a_1_t.htm
However, as a result of Abood v. Detroit Board of Education, 431 U.S. 209 (1977), a lawsuit that was supported by the Foundation, educators cannot be required to do more than pay a union fee (typically called an "agency fee") that equals their share of what the union can prove is its costs of collective bargaining, contract administration, and grievance adjustment.
Except in extraordinary cases, the union's costs of collective bargaining, contract administration, and grievance adjustment do not equal the dues amount.
You have a right to object and obtain a reduction of your compulsory agency fee payments so they do not include the part of dues that is used for purposes other than collective bargaining and contract administration.
The employer and the union must establish certain procedures to safeguard your right to pay only a limited fee to the union. These safeguards include giving you:
•audited financial information about how the amount of the agency fee was calculated;
•an opportunity to challenge the amount of the agency fee before an impartial decision-maker; and,
•the right to place the contested amount of the agency fee in escrow so that the union will not be able to illegally use your money while a decision on the proper amount of the agency fee is pending.
Your right to proper safeguards is based upon Chicago Teachers Union v. Hudson, 475 U.S. 292 (1986), another lawsuit that was supported by the Foundation.
Heh. So could I Doc, so could I.
Cheers!
This sounds like the right tactic. Make them open their books and show that the $500 is in fact the costs of bargaining. However, I would not be hopeful of getting much help from the Mass Court system.
In my state - it is.
This guy has a standard ROTC contract where DOD pays part and the District pays part. He does not take any benefits or personal days. This is the case of a bunch of Libs trying to get rid of a motivational guy whose kids go to great schools and serve this Nation. They hope by getting rid of him they can get rid of this program and keep the entire inner city school in the pits. What a shame.
On the nose. The teachers in our district have attempted many times to kill the JROTC program in our school because of the optics of kids running around in uniform and the motivational force of the Instructors who make a real difference in the lives of every kid they touch. Rather than inspiring them, it makes some of these teachers livid with envy and literally hatred, because the kids are also learning patriotism, common decency, honor and pride in a job well done rather than the "self-esteem" BS that the education bureaucracy is pushing.
The vast majority of these children go on to college and private life, and the JROTC instructors are zealous about the fact they are training potential officers and not just warming up the next batch of recruits. They regulate recruiter's access to the school and make sure that recruiters do not make promises or sell kids lines that are not 100% true. My daughter was in this program, and I can say it was the only real source of hope that gave us the ability to get her through High School and now into College when many if not most of her classmates fell to drugs and teen pregnancy. These people and their work is an unadulterated blessing.
Does this standard ROTC contract state whether the ROTC Instructor is an employee of the DOD or of the school district.
It may be arguable that the ROTC Instructor is NOT a district employee and thus exempt from the district’s union contract.
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