Californians Prepare Initiative to Make Politics Voluntary, Even for Union Members
by Ron NehringGovernment employee union officials have enjoyed a big advantage over their political competitors: the power to compel members to contribute funds to their causes.
Such political power has served as a massive force in favor of the unsustainable spending that has forced cities like Vallejo, California into bankruptcy with unrealistic salaries and pension benefits for their unionized employees.
Normally only a tiny fraction of Americans choose to donate to candidates or political causes. Yet many government employee unions enjoy the power to compel virtually all of their members into supporting the unions’ advocacy, regardless of how the individual worker feels about that agenda.
That’s one heck of an advantage on the political battlefield, but it comes at the price of forcing, for example, Republican union members to fund Democrat campaigns. Or, conversely, Democrats in Pennsylvania funding then-Republican Arlen Specter’s re-election. It’s wrong, and abuse of the practice has led states like Utah and Idaho to ban the practice.
And California may too, if proponents of a new “paycheck protection” measure have their way.
Armed with a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding Idaho’s Voluntary Contribution Act, California proponents of paycheck protection have begun circulating a ballot measure that if passed would get the state out of the business of collecting political cash for its government employee union officials. Political participation would once again become voluntary for the state’s workers.
Officials in those unions that would rather not give their members the freedom to choose for themselves whether to fund the union’s political agenda will no doubt complain loudly. Yet, proponents of reform have an advantage in that a majority of union members themselves have historically supported efforts to give them the power to decide for themselves whether to support political candidates or causes.
The California effort will need to overcome every conceivable obstacle that will be thrown in their path, including those which were used to defeat similar efforts in 1998 and 2005 with Propositions 226 and 75, respectively.
The latest measure enjoys strong support from the well organized tea party movement in California, which is backing the petitioning effort. Substantial funding will be necessary to get the measure passed once it qualifies for the ballot: history shows the officials running many of the state’s public employee unions will say just about anything to persuade a voter to oppose this common sense reform.
The initiative is being called the “Citizen Power Initiative.” More information and petitions are available here.
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65 Comments
now that's an initiative we can get behind…
One suspects this will be fought tooth and nail for it represents the antithesis of the Obama/SEIU connection and the so-called 'Free Choice Act' of forced unionization.
California does have the infamous Ninth District which most likely will hear the appeal. It will be VERY interesting
to see how this proceeds…
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It completely floors me that this practice is even legal in the first place. It definitely needs to stop, how about pointing at the national teachers unions along the way? Those crooks need to go. Union and organizing is fine, but public sector and government jobs have no business organizing. The fact that there is a police union or a firefighters union or a teachers union at all is appalling.
BUST ALL PUBLIC SECTOR UNIONS
Heres wishing luck to California to get this done. Thank goodness Utah and Idaho have already had a supreme court test on it, so maybe it has a chance to survive the ninth district, but it still won't be easy.
I'm sure Nancy Pelosi will fight this tooth and nail.
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Moonbeam too!
More states should take this action. If I were in a Union, I wouldn't
appreciate them taking my money and donating it to causes I didn't
believe in……GO California!!
I know this might surprise many, but the average Californian isn't nearly as liberal as the rest of the country has been lead to believe. The State Senate and State legislature are overwhelmingly liberal but that's only because liberals have gerrymandered their way to power. We've elected a number of conservative governors,(no, not the terminator) and we're hands down the most active ballot initiative state in the union. In fact, our ballot initiatives have been our way of taking back the state from liberals. California is in a budget crisis because those same liberal legislators have rewarded public unions ridiculously high pay with gold plated benefits. But they can't meet the bill now because the electorate made certain they need a 2/3 majority to pass tax increases. What conservatives seats that exist in the state will remain conservative because through the same gerrymandering process liberals funneled all conservative voters to those congressional districts. It has been said at times so goes California, the rest of the union will follow in time. Watch what happens in November 2010. It will be a wake up call to many.
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Unions are a thing of the past! They serve NO PURPOSE today, except to fill the pockets of the union bosses!! They should be put out of business and made illegal!!
Unions have destroyed the manufactoring in the USA now they are going to destoy the goverment.
Unions are all about ME ME ME!!!!
Unions are Blood-suckers not caring for the health of the hands that feeds it.
This is good news. Unions aren't worth anything. They are useless in today's workforce. I bet Stern is blowing a gasket on this one. Wish he would blow an artery leading to his heart.
I know a lot of Union Workers that don't like this practice. They are Conservatives and they know that most of their money goes to support the Lefties agendas. I hope California can get this done and that it will spread like wildfire throughout the country!
Wow! If this passes this will set a precedence that other big union states will have to take a look at. I know Dems follow the socialist model of the ends justifying the means but even the smarter Dems have to realize how unethical it is to force someone to pay for something they don't support…..wait a sec….that just like this Health Care bill.
Nope I'm all wrong on that. All Dems (ignorant or less ignorant) think it is within their power to force people to pay for anything and any time and as many times as they feel necessary regardless of the popular support of the people.
Hmmm. I wonder what their alleged hero, Thomas Jefferson, said about that. Jefferson said, "To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." Uh oh, whats a Dem to do now?
MESSAGE TO CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS: Please go to the link at the bottom of the article, print copies of the petition, gather signatures of your friends and relatives and send them to the petition organizers. Thank you for your help. Your state needs you!
This is the best idea to hit California in a long time. Ihave gotten fully behind this effort. Just yesterday I had 4 moderately liberal Democrats sign the petition to put this on the ballot – in the blink of an eye- no questions asked. they saw the common sense in it and the inherent conflict in allowing public union dues to be used for political purposes. If that is a harbinger the public unions that have been bleeding California dry are in real trouble, And if it works in California it will sweep the nation. If you live in Kalifornia you should get behind this and at least signb a petition to get on the ballot. This really will "unplug the political machine."
Isn't it a little funny that this is even a fight? Would a union member that objected to handing over their money be fired if they demanded the employer, the state, not withhold the percentage amount that is used for political purposes? Probably. But some smart attorney might be able to make the case that, perhaps, union dues used this way are in violation of the people's right to peaceably assemble.
On the other hand, there is no group that understand the persuasion of power like the unions.
Could not have said it better! This is the single biggest problem California faces. If this succeeds more conservative officials and initiatives will succeed. Then we tackle the federal problem……
"well organized tea party movement in California"? How do I get in contact with this well organized movement in California? Thanks, Mark
Unions and their bosses are vile puddles of puke…They must be busted by all means possible..Godspeed CA.
Heh, Senator Mark, how apt of a name. Our very own Mayor (now senator) Mark Begich of Anchorage Alaska sold the city out on five years of union contracts while he obfuscated the fact that the city was in the red to the tune of 20 or 30 million and "hid the decline" from the city legislative body, just in time the reap the electoral benefits of his graft peddling and eek out a most narrow victory over Ted Stevens, a convicted felon as if the story could possibly get richer.
So mayor mark hides the red ink, gives the farm away to the unions, hops a plane for DC just in time to sign on to the health care bill and stick another knife in our backs here in Alaska, in the meantime Ted Stevens conviction is tossed by no less than Eric Holder as a bunk rap.
You really cannot make this stuff up, and that ^ is the short short version. It's appalling and disgusting.
I'll second that. It's time for people to get involved if they ever hope to regain control of their states and country.
Written in 1968:
Fortunately, there were now only four daily newspapers in the city, the leaders of the various newspaper guilds and unions having decided that the best way to ensure higher wages and lifetime employment was to make demands that would kill off the newspapers one by one, leaving behind only scattered goose feathers and broken golden egg shells. ~Fuzz, Ed McBain
/endquote
Unions. May they go the way of the dodo bird in Austrialia and of morals in Hollywood.
aye puke stains one and all, I wholeheartedly agree, and it's not rhetoric, I've seen them in action. The same puke who tells you how he's looking out for you, how hard he works for you, how much he's doing and will do for you….the same guy who "goes to bat" on your behalf, emerging victorious with a puny arsed wage increase……is the same guy who will raise your dues six weeks later erasing your wage increase, then hops a plane and you'll find him at the same resort, sitting by the same pool or in the same bar or the same spa as the guy who hired you.
The only difference is that the exec respected you enough to compensate you for your work, while the other guy, well you paid him to show up, not the other way around. They'll both laugh, tink glasses and mock you and all like you. WAKE UP UNION MEMBERS!!! TIME TO WAKE UP!
This might be helpful.
http://teapartypatriots.org/State/California
I have wondered when the real Californians would finally stand up to the gangsters. Good luck Golden Staters. The revolution has to start somewhere.
In 1988 the U.S. Supreme court ruled in CWA v. Harry Beck that union members cannot be compelled to contribute to a union's political agendas if it violates the member's moral consciense. A member is only bound to contribute his fair share of the cost of the collective bargaining agreement that he is a party to. Harry Beck was refunded a large portion of his dues overpayments. I'm not aware that this case has been overturned.
As Duude reminds us of the adage, "so goes California…" Let this start there and it's plausibility and validity will be undeniable…..as though that weren't already the case.
This is a great initiative. It's about time we start to break the legs of the union leaders, instead of the other way around.
Poor Andy, what's he going to do without out all the loot to hand out for favors.
Other blue states are the same way, it's a close call, 50.1% determines the color
something needs to happen in california – i suspect arnold will be getting a big bail out check that the rest of us will end up paying for.
PROGRESSIVISM = TOTALITARIANISM
the left has underestimated how pissed people are – 2010 will tell all
There's no way the unions that really control Sacramento will allow this to pass. They'll throw however much money against this as it takes to redefine reality in the minds of voters.
I still recall the initiative a few years ago, when a lot of people were convinced that a panel of retired judges would somehow be more politically partisan than elected officials when redrawing Congressional districts.
Amen to that. Unions are labor monopolies that can only be rationalized as necessary protections for employees that have no other leverage over their employers. Public sector employees by definition have other leverage, e.g. the ballot booth lever, over their bosses. Come to think of it, with all of the employee protections now with the force of law behind them, there is no rational argument for any labor monopolies. They are as corrupt and distorting as any trust.
BUST ALL UNIONS!
I'm a municipal employee (law enforcement) in SoCal and thankfully, union membership is not mandatory for my position, so I'm a GDI
. I heartily supported Prop 75 in 2005 because I believe it is wrong to force union members to financially support candidates and initiatives they disagree with. I believe it is a violation of the First Amendment. Most union members are required to join and have no control over what the unions do with their dues.
But SEIU actually sent someone here for a lunch time meeting, and the union rep (based on what I heard) frightened these people with the horrors that will follow if Prop 75 and the other initiatives passed: you'll lose your pension! You'll lose your health care! You'll lose your head and other body parts!!!1!! For a 20-year county employee capping at $12 an hour, that precious pension is all she's got going for her. (In CA, the state employees are the ones making the big money.) Hopefully, residents sick of the crap out of Sacramento will prevail over frightened union employees who fear losing their retirement nest egg.
The people of California should do something really radical and deny government workers from being able to form a Union.
The State is soverign and for the limited purpose of advacing the will of the people via legislation. It is an usurptation of power to allow these Unions to hobble the governments.
Your exactly right VinceP, it's a disgusting thing unions have done to the public sector and it should not have been allowed to happen, and it should be brought up to a sudden halt like, yesterday.
Break all public sector unions, teachers, cops, firefighters, admin staff, all of them should be stripped of union membership and their contracts set on fire.
Hmmm… I cant' tell if you're being facetious or sincere.
Sorry, I meant it. Strip unions from the public sector. I don't care what any union apologists say about their validity, they've proven right here in my own front yard just how much damage they can do.
The national teachers unions have crippled education in this country, it's downright criminal. They care only for fleecing the public and nothing for the mission of any public sector entity. They're parasitic and the attrition of the damage they do is wearing down to the threads.
As a Californian…not a liberal, I say: If this can get passed in CA, it can be passed in any state!. We have been the hot bed of forced union contributions for many years…..It can and must be stopped!!
The Ninth Circus Court of Appeals will have no choice but to uphold the case if the language of the law mirrors the one decided by the Supreme Court. As an aside, the Ninth must have been in convulsions when they also had to adhere to the Heller case decision on the second amendment.
well put…
but they could be overturned by the Supremes, no? Most overturned circuit in the US…
Andy Stern has a heart? Wow, news to me. I thought he was just a cockroach preying on all of humanity.
This is one cause I will definitely support and actively participate. Bring it on!
Certainly a good cause, but why not just try to pass a Right to Work law that protects the freedom of ALL EMPLOYEES to not be forced to pay union dues?
let's face facts: CA union bosses will oppose this measure with all their forced dues political power. So why limit it to government employees when we can protect all of California's employees from forced dues?
Read the story of Danielle Cookson: http://www.nrtw.org/profiles/cookson/
She works at a grocery store and is forced to pay dues to a union just to keep her job. That's wrong and the people of California know it.
Union bosses will spend millions opposing any iniative that limits their power so why not swing for the fences?
Amen. Unions are a malignancy on the American economy.
Excellent. All people should choose on how to fund their politics – i hope this'll help people get organized on the issues they care about.
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Unions should be banned from politcol activity period.
I campaigned for this in 2005. Obviously it failed. The Unions spent millions of their worker's stolen money to put out ads that said the Governor just wants to silence his critics.
Then, if i'm not mistaken, the State actually reimbursed the money the Unions spent.
I CAN CREATE 15 MILLION JOBS ALMOST OVER NIGHT right here in America !!!
Here is my Job creation Computations:
America Imported in 2006 mainly from China, Mexico, Japan and India well over $760 Billion Dollars more than we exported in 2006.
The $760 billion dollar import number that I am quoting includes Oil Imports which is something that America cannot change over night therefore must be subtracted out of total import number. The total U.S. crude oil imported during 2006 amounted to: $309.4 billion dollars of crude oil in 2006.
So, $760 billion minus $309.4 billion = $450.6 billion dollars worth of Manufactured Goods that could have and should have been produced right here in America.
Based on conventional wisdom in job creation, if you take $450.6 billion dollars worth of imported goods / $30 billion to create one million jobs = 15.02 million jobs would be automatically created almost over night.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Now because some of you people still do not understand what I an saying. I am going to recalculate the cost of the Trade Deficit in just Jobs.
So please do not tell me the stock answer: “YEA, but look at all of the EXPORTS JOBS the USA will LOSE.”
The American people have been BRAIN WASHED into believes in that GLOBALIZATION is in the best interest of USA. I think they are trying to destroy the USA because that will be the final outcome.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Total USA Imports in 2006:
———————————-
$ 2,211.7 billion —— (This includes Crude Oil)
$ 309.4 billion less — (Spent on Imported Crude Oil)
————————————————–
$ 1,902.3 billion / 30 billion=63.41 million jobs from Import. ==================================================
Total USA Exports in 2006:
———————————-
$ 1,451.7 Billion / 30 billion=48.39 million jobs from Export.
If USA Pulls out of NAFTA and WTO right now:
USA could possibly lose 48.39 million Jobs from EXPORTS.
However, I am sure many countries will still export many items from the USA because they will be forced too. That would create even more jobs gained than I have estimated.
USA would absolutely gain 63.41 million Jobs from IMPORTS.
So, 63.41 minus 48.39 = 15.02 million NET JOBS GAIN. (An increase of 31% over export jobs)
My calculation means an ABSOLUTE 15.02 million Jobs gained if the rest of the world did not buy one penny of USA EXPORTS
.
But, instead the Washington Politicians with all their Infinite Wisdom elected to move all of that manufactured goods off shore to China. Even as America has up-ward of 16% unemployment rate and climbing.
Then to make things even worse the Federal Government must borrow money from China and Japan to purchase back these very products as they are being brought back into America.
I think we are witnessing the Federal Government in the process of transferring all the America Assets off shore to Communist China on a silver platter.
Why would the American Government sit on their hands and watch as all the Manufacturing Base and all our high Technology are being shipped off shore to a Communistic Country like China?
Make no mistake about it China is still a Communistic Country.
We are handing all of the American Military Defenses and our entire manufacturing base over to China on a silver platter.
Please tell me; “What the HELL are we going to do if we get into a War with Russia and China”?
Unions are good for unions. Detroit is a perfect example of what unions, community organizers and progressive politics will do to a city. The only way union members will believe their industry can't afford higher wages is when that industry goes belly up. I used to say, "buy American". Now I say anything BUT union.
Why haven't Pubbies objected to the Stimulus fund requirement that the only bids from unionized companies will be accepted? If they don't object, at least have an intern keep track of non-union " woulda been" bids vs union bids that won contracts.
Another Initiative is to get the state legislature cut to part time with a 50% pay cut.
the link for that is reformcal.com
As it stands now I would do anything possible to avoid union membership. If this passed it would be a giant victory for American principals and give unions their credibility back.
Go Vallejo! That's the only way change can really come about. I wish that was happening in my town. Fire fighters and police officers do put their lives on the line. But does anyone really think a 55 year old police detective I know should be able to retire with a $130,000.00 a year salary for life????? From a community that is broke and is cutting current services?
The government unions are sucking us dry and the only way out of these contracts is BK.
I was unhappy when SEIU gobbled up the CSEA. I was even more unhappy when they increased dues by 50% and started tossing bags of money at lefty politicians. I complained. I was told to "shut up", it was none of my business.
Yeah. My money, none of my business. Thanks.
It does not matter because I expect congress to fly to Hawaii to anoint Obama our savior and dictator before then.
I have worked Union and Non Union Jobs and I can tell you that union workers are better trained, better qualified and produce a much better product. Scabs are paid low wages and do shoddy work. The corporations want cheap labor so they hire conservatives to advocate for them/
Instead of her paying union dues let her work as a scab for half the wages. I'm sure her employer would love this.
I thought this was a free country. To deny workers the right to organize is anti freedom. Hitler also busted up the unions. You people are Fascists/ Nazis
So should corporations, and their associations such as Chamber of Commerce.
When I was in high school I worked at a local grocery store that was unionized. I had to pay dues to keep my min wage job. It was ridiculous!
[...] Timothy B. Hurst wrote an interesting post today on  Here’s a quick excerpt  Such political power has served as a massive force in favor of the unsustainable spending that has forced cities like Vallejo, California into bankruptcy with unrealistic salaries and pension benefits for their unionized employees. … [...]
Online Article……
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