[geeks] OLPCs for sale...

[Lionel Peterson]

>From: Shannon Hendrix <shannon at widomaker.com>
>Date: 2007/11/20 Tue PM 04:27:12 CST
>To: The Geeks List <geeks at sunhelp.org>
>Subject: Re: [geeks] OLPCs for sale...

>On Nov 19, 2007, at 5:07 PM, Lionel Peterson wrote:
>
>
>> I don't see that - the union is charging non-members an extremely  
>> high fee for their "no merit pay, everyone makes the same" contract  
>> negotiations...
>
>But how can the union charge a free citizen a fee like that, unless  
>the government supports it?
>
>If I apply for a government job, what gives a union the right to  
>charge me union fees?
>
>It's constitutionally illegal for any government in the USA to do  
>anything like that, and I don't see how it could possibly happen  
>otherwise.

I had a friend who was a management employee (in IT for the state, thery were considered management, and were members of the management "union") - he had to pay fees to the union, member or not, though if he was not a member, he paid a slight bit less.

My local school district policy allows the union (ahm, "association") to charge up to 85% of the association fees from non-members, deducted right from their paycheck.[0]

>Then again, most labor laws and related seem to be illegal in the  
>first place.
>
>Certainly EOE and laws like that are unconstitutional.

Illegal or not, they are the "right thing to do" - at least, I believe that is the argument...

Lionel

[0] http://www.hvrsd.k12.nj.us/District/HR/ContractHVEA0407.pdf Page 11, Section J