I Never Thought The Day Would Come

I never thought I'd be saying the words that I'm about to say. I joined the teacher's union today. It was not an easy decision to make because I believe that the unions are primarily a political body rather than a negotiating body. This is particularly true of California Faculty Association, the union I just joined.

What brought me to such a decision? Well, every month there is a deduction that is taken for CFA non-member fees, which is approximately $50. This deduction bothers me to no end. I have no choice in the matter, they just take my money. This deduction is not what made me decide to join the union, but it got me thinking. If you haven't heard, California is in a terrible situation financially. We've gone to Washington hat in hand asking for the rest of the country to bail us out. We also have a state legislature that is unable to pass a budget that adequately curbs spending. More job cuts are going to be coming to employees of the state. I'm a state employee. I also see which direction the prevailing wind is blowing when it comes to unions. We have ushered in a pro-union climate with our last election. When you take all these factors into consideration I began to feel vulnerable. It is likely that those who are not union members will be the most attractive to cut loose. We depend on my job to provide the family with medical and dental insurance, which I use on a regular basis.

So, last night Dan and I talked about it and decided that I would contact the union rep and ask a few questions. Such as, if I were to join the union, would I have to pay more in union fees each month? If I join the union, how much of my fees go toward PAC's? Interestingly today, before I had a chance to send an email to the union rep, I had a knock on my door. Guess who was on the other side of the door? Two union reps asking for me by name. I invited them in to my office and started asking them questions. But before I asked them questions I very frankly shared with them, in a respectful way, my contempt for unions and lack of desire to join their ranks. They were also quite respectful, which was a relief because I really didn't feel like debating the issue with them.

They told me that my fees would remain the same, but now I would be able to vote on contracts, where as a non-union member I could not vote. They also told me that when I fill out the application I can request that none of my money is given to PAC's. Both of my concerns were addressed and allayed, so I filled out the application card and became a member of the union.

I have to admit I still feel a little dirty, but I figure I'm taking one for the family.