YES on Proposition 75
The San Diego Union - Tribune ran a few letters to the editors in favor of California Proposition 75, the proposal to make unions get their members permission to use union dues for political purposes. As many of you have read here on this blog, I am all in favor of CTA having to ask my permission to use my union dues to support political candidates and CTA social causes. I WANT TO SAY "NO" to CTA! Anyhow, I wrote a letter to the editor of my own:
"I would like to inform the general public about public school teachers and CTA in response to Mr. Malcolm Carmichael's letter to the editor (Union-Tribune, Saturday, 24 Sept. 2005, page B7). In his letter, Mr. Carmichael said "Persons not wanting their union dues or a portion .....used to help elect lawmakers and lobby.....should not belong to a union." Mr. Carmichael and others, you should know that when I became a public school teacher in California 18 years ago, I HAD NO CHOICE regarding "union" membership. It is court mandated that public school teachers will be in either CTA/NEA or CFT/AFT, whichever union has bargaining rights in the school district. As a member of CTA/NEA, I have very little say in anything; I cannot vote for my state union officers, nor do I have a say in who represents me at the local Uniserv office. CTA has the power to raise my dues whenever they wish, give my dues money to any political office candidate who tells them what they want to hear, and spend money to support any proposition or social cause they wish. I personally do not support the political candidates they spend my money to endorse. I am in favor of Proposition 75. CTA and other public service unions should have members permission before spending our hard earned money on political office candidates.
In another letter, Fire Captain Scott Culkin said he "willingly contributed" to his unions political action fund. This is great. Captain Culkin had a choice to donate or not to donate to the political action fund. CTA/NEA does not give its teacher members this choice. CTA officials take our money and decide whom to give it to or how to spend it without member input or direction. This is so wrong. Didn't our country once go to war against Britain with the issue of "taxation without representation" being one of the reasons for our Revolutionary War ?
I don't mind paying for teacher union representation in collective bargaining, but I do find that my dues money being spent for political office candidates and causes I find unacceptable to be reprehensible and un-American."
CTA has also led the effort for "public service unions" in TV ads against Prop. 75. Those of you not in California will not have seen their ad., but in their ad, they declare that "Proposition 75 slaps political restrictions on teachers and public workers, but not Arnold's corporate sponsors." In my mind, this is very misleading. Teachers have NO say in to whom CTA doles out our union money. CTA takes our money, raising dues as they wish to cover all their favorite political candidates and expenses and is spending our money to keep their power to continue to contribute unhindered by a loss of funds from those teachers who do not support CTA endorse political office candidates or social causes. Correct me if I am wrong, but do private corporations force their employees to pay into a political action fund? CTA forces its members to do so! This is so wrong.
CTA's ad against Prop. 75 also states that Prop. 75 " is targeting teachers and public workers so they can't fight back." Excuse me, but I will be happy to contribute to a political cause or candidate whom I support. CTA does not want its members to have a choice. This is so wrong, unfair, reprehensible and un-American.
CTA will still get hundreds of thousands of its teachers to tell them to spend their dues for political reasons as CTA wishes. Proposition 75 gives some of us the right to say NO.
IF you teacher in California, if you have friends and relatives in California, I encourage you to vote YES on California Proposition 75. Help send the message to CTA that their members should have a choice in how their money is spent. Choice is the American way.
Thanks for reading my blog. As always, your comments are welcome!
"I would like to inform the general public about public school teachers and CTA in response to Mr. Malcolm Carmichael's letter to the editor (Union-Tribune, Saturday, 24 Sept. 2005, page B7). In his letter, Mr. Carmichael said "Persons not wanting their union dues or a portion .....used to help elect lawmakers and lobby.....should not belong to a union." Mr. Carmichael and others, you should know that when I became a public school teacher in California 18 years ago, I HAD NO CHOICE regarding "union" membership. It is court mandated that public school teachers will be in either CTA/NEA or CFT/AFT, whichever union has bargaining rights in the school district. As a member of CTA/NEA, I have very little say in anything; I cannot vote for my state union officers, nor do I have a say in who represents me at the local Uniserv office. CTA has the power to raise my dues whenever they wish, give my dues money to any political office candidate who tells them what they want to hear, and spend money to support any proposition or social cause they wish. I personally do not support the political candidates they spend my money to endorse. I am in favor of Proposition 75. CTA and other public service unions should have members permission before spending our hard earned money on political office candidates.
In another letter, Fire Captain Scott Culkin said he "willingly contributed" to his unions political action fund. This is great. Captain Culkin had a choice to donate or not to donate to the political action fund. CTA/NEA does not give its teacher members this choice. CTA officials take our money and decide whom to give it to or how to spend it without member input or direction. This is so wrong. Didn't our country once go to war against Britain with the issue of "taxation without representation" being one of the reasons for our Revolutionary War ?
I don't mind paying for teacher union representation in collective bargaining, but I do find that my dues money being spent for political office candidates and causes I find unacceptable to be reprehensible and un-American."
CTA has also led the effort for "public service unions" in TV ads against Prop. 75. Those of you not in California will not have seen their ad., but in their ad, they declare that "Proposition 75 slaps political restrictions on teachers and public workers, but not Arnold's corporate sponsors." In my mind, this is very misleading. Teachers have NO say in to whom CTA doles out our union money. CTA takes our money, raising dues as they wish to cover all their favorite political candidates and expenses and is spending our money to keep their power to continue to contribute unhindered by a loss of funds from those teachers who do not support CTA endorse political office candidates or social causes. Correct me if I am wrong, but do private corporations force their employees to pay into a political action fund? CTA forces its members to do so! This is so wrong.
CTA's ad against Prop. 75 also states that Prop. 75 " is targeting teachers and public workers so they can't fight back." Excuse me, but I will be happy to contribute to a political cause or candidate whom I support. CTA does not want its members to have a choice. This is so wrong, unfair, reprehensible and un-American.
CTA will still get hundreds of thousands of its teachers to tell them to spend their dues for political reasons as CTA wishes. Proposition 75 gives some of us the right to say NO.
IF you teacher in California, if you have friends and relatives in California, I encourage you to vote YES on California Proposition 75. Help send the message to CTA that their members should have a choice in how their money is spent. Choice is the American way.
Thanks for reading my blog. As always, your comments are welcome!
posted by Dan Edwards | 12:32 PM
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