The rock is rolling

A while back, the place where I work got a visit from a union rep.  Seems a person on our staff wanted to be represented by the union (SEIU) so the union rep got to work for that person.  After a while (don't know how it all happened) union rep announces that everyone on staff should be a union member and start paying union dues (in this case, 1.5% of your annual salary - not 1.5% of the raise they "negotiated" but the entire salary from day 1 which is criminal since the union did NOTHING to help me for 10 years and now they're trying to pull a little red hen).  Basically, what the union was doing was creating a unilateral contract and then insisting that I pay for services for which I never contracted.  Union says you don't have to be a member if you don't want to be a member, but even if you aren't a union member, everyone MUST pay "something" (in this case, 1.5% of your annual salary).

I was one of the ones who did not want to join the union and was vocal about it.  I suspect unions have their place.  Management wants people to work for less money and workers typically want to get paid for doing as little as possible.  I get it - the perpetual push me, pull you syndrome.  The problem is where the union tells me that after 10 years working somewhere that now I must pay to continue to work here.  Really pissed me off.  So I voted against the agency shop thing and it was (thankfully) defeated (for now).

The reason I'm writing this post is to shout a congratulatory pat-on-the-back to Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin.  Seems Gov. Walker had been in a fight with the teacher's union and on July 31, he finally won when the Wisconsin Supreme Court handed the union its head on a silver platter in Madison Teachers, Inc. v. Walker.  Basically, the Court prohibited public unions from bargaining on issues other than base wages; prohibited municipalities from deducting union dues from the paychecks of public employees; imposed annual re-certification requirements for unions; and prohibited any union agreement that would require employees who are not members of a union from having to pay union dues (this last one is HUGE).

My problem is that I picture union bosses like those in On the Waterfront starring Marlon Brando where they had the power to say who worked and who didn't.  I think if the union had come in to my workplace and said, if you don't want to be a member, you don't have to pay dues - they would have had a better reception.  

Instead, SEIU came in all heavy handed and with a bully club said pay us because we're the big, bad union and even though you never said you wanted us to help you, we're going to shove ourselves down your throat and you're going to pay us your hard earned cash every day for the rest of your life.  Well, to that (and to the union bosses) I say, Nuts!  When the every-day working man starts driving around in stretch limousines, wearing floor length fur coats, and eating caviar (not that I would, but...), I'll consider joining the ranks.  Until then...

Anyway, congratulations Gov. Walker - you've made my day.