Michigan Union Officials Desperate to Keep Forced Dues Power
Look out, Michigan teachers. Michigan teacher union officials are devising ways to keep you under the yoke of forced unionism. Desperate to keep forced dues dollars coming in, knowing that the new Michigan Right to Work Law will allow captive members to have a choice, teacher union officials are in a mad scramble to extend forced-dues contracts already in place.
Jennifer Chambers has the story in the Detroit News.
Officials fear the destruction of that power to force teachers into paying dues.
The law includes a clause that says all contracts in place before that date are immune from the new rules, which means members would be tied into paying dues until the new contract expires.
Doug Pratt, spokesman for the Michigan Education Association, the largest teachers union in the state with 150,000 members, said with 1,100 locals, there is no way for him to know which units are bargaining ahead of March 27.
“A large number are in negotiations. I would be guessing as to how many,” Pratt said. “Certainly the fact that the Legislature provided this window to negotiate agreements before (right to work) goes into effect has some (locals) working on it.”