Sociology > Education > Cash-Strapped CTA Union Rejects $250,000 Offer to Pay Costs of Notifying All Members of Basic Rights
| Topic: |
Sociology > Education |
| User: |
"T James" |
| Date: |
25 Oct 2005 07:50:32 PM |
| Object: |
Cash-Strapped CTA Union Rejects $250,000 Offer to Pay Costs of Notifying All Members of Basic Rights |
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October 25, 2005
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CASH-STRAPPED CTA UNION REJECTS $250,000 OFFER TO PAY
COSTS OF NOTIFYING ALL MEMBERS OF BASIC RIGHTS
CTA union brass insist that rank-and-file union
members remain in the dark about their limited
rights to reclaim compulsory union dues
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http://www.nrtw.org/b/nr_445.php
.......................................................
Sacramento, California (October 25, 2005) - The
cash-strapped California Teacher Association (CTA)
union will not accept an offer by the National Right
to Work Legal Defense Foundation to pay for a $250,000
statewide mailing to all of the union's members
informing them of their constitutional right to cut
off the use of their forced union dues to influence
the upcoming November special election.
CTA union chief Barbara Kerr did not accept the offer
made in an open letter by a group of teacher union
members and nonmembers, sent last Thursday and
published in Sunday's Sacramento Bee. In their
letter, the teachers demanded that union officials
notify all CTA members of how they can refrain from
paying for the union hierarchy's $60 million political
campaign by resigning their formal union membership
and objecting.
In response to a class action lawsuit filed by
teachers with free legal help from Foundation
attorneys, CTA officials were forced to send a notice
on October 15 to nonmembers informing teachers that
they have a right to stop and immediately reclaim the
$60 per teacher dues increase earmarked for political
electioneering. Nonmembers, including teachers who
resign their membership and object, can also reclaim
an additional $300 per year that the CTA and its
affiliates routinely spend on non-bargaining
activities.
The open letter, signed by over two dozen California
teachers, asked union officials to cooperate in
informing union members of their same limited rights
to cut off the use of their forced dues for politics.
The proposed mailing would have been processed by a
third party mail shop. It required the cooperation of
CTA officials who possess the only mailing list of
union members.
"Obviously, the union brass intend to keep
rank-and-file teachers in the dark about their most
basic rights," said Stefan Gleason, Vice President of
National Right to Work Foundation. "Teachers are to
serve as blank checks to finance CTA officials'
radical political agenda."
In court proceedings, CTA controller Carlos Moreno
filed a sworn declaration disclosing that CTA
officials had already spent all $60 million in
anticipated revenues from the three-year compulsory
dues increase and that union officials were in
negotiations for an additional $40 million credit
line. If the union is unable to obtain the additional
credit, Moreno stated that a $20 million loan could be
recalled and services cut back.
"We recognize that many teachers will not want to
subject themselves to your discriminatory policies of
denying nonmembers the right to vote on union
contracts, as well as access to liability insurance.
However, our member colleagues should at least be
allowed to make this choice," the teachers wrote in
their letter to Kerr.
Ultimately, the U.S. District court may order the
union to notify, at its own expense, union members of
their due-process rights. A copy of the open letter
can be viewed at www.nrtw.org/california/kerrltr.pdf.
======================================================
National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation
8001 Braddock Road | Springfield, VA 22160
http://www.nrtw.org | (800) 336-3600
======================================================
The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation is
a nonprofit, charitable organization providing free
legal aid to employees whose human or civil rights
have been violated by compulsory unionism abuses. The
Foundation, which can be contacted toll-free at
1-800-336-3600, is assisting thousands of employees
in close to 300 cases nationwide. Its web address is:
http://www.nrtw.org/
........................................................
To subscribe or unsubscribe, go to:
http://host.netatlantic.com/cgi-bin/process.pl?id=26802796E
........................................................
(C) 2005, NRTWLDF
--
..
"The Purpose and Limits of Government,"
by Roger Pilon, 1999 (PDF, screen optimized, 256 kb)
http://www.cato.org/pubs/catosletters/cl-13.pdf
(Hardcopy $1.00, call 800-767-1241)
.
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