Labor gathering ignores workers’ rights

When organized labor sits down on Labor Day (Monday) for its annual political picnic, union leadership will not address a key issue of workers’ rights: paycheck protection.

"Most workers don’t realize that they are paying for the political agendas of a few union bosses with money taken from their union dues," said Bob Williams, president of Evergreen Freedom Foundation. "When Vice President Al Gore, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, and Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman come to the Labor Day Picnic, they should be addressing how they plan to protect the rights of union members to choose how to spend their money on politics. But that simply will not happen on Monday."

Although a 1992 voter-approved initiative was supposed to protect Washington state workers by requiring unions to get annual written permission before taking money for politics from workers’ paychecks, a set of guidelines written by the AG’s office allows unions to do just that. Under a 1998 settlement agreement between the AG and the Washington Education Association, which was accused of extensive campaign-finance violations, union leaders can now take general union dues and use them for political action committees.

"Union members should be asking these politicians what they are doing to protect their paychecks," EFF’s Williams said. "I thought Labor Day was supposed to honor our nation’s workers, but instead of offering to help protect union members’ rights to paycheck protection, labor’s big guns are out politicking for votes. Instead of saying ‘what can I do to honor you?’ these politicians are saying ‘here’s what you must do for me...’ "

Ironically, Samuel Gompers, the father of unions, believed in "voluntary human cooperation over any form of compulsion or dictatorship," a fact which was noted by George Meany, long-time AFL-CIO president, in his foreword to Samuel Gompers, Seventy Years of Life.

"If Samuel Gompers didn’t believe in forcing people to act outside their voluntary will, then why are Washington state union members being forced to pay for the political agendas of a few union leaders?" EFF’s Williams asked.

OTHER NEWS FROM EVERGREEN STATE:

1. The Attorney General’s Office continues to delay handing over documents relating to the settlement of campaign-finance violations against the Washington Education Association. On August 28, the Thurston County Superior Court ordered the AG and the Public Disclosure Commission to "immediately" hand over documents related to the WEA settlement. Assistant Attorney General Chip Holcomb says the AG may appeal the order.

2. The Lake Stevens School District teacher strike moves into its third day Thursday, August 6, even though Washington state law prohibits teachers and law enforcement officers from striking.

Contact: Marsha Richards, Communications Director, (360) 956-3482

Evergreen Freedom Foundation P.O. Box 552, Olympia, WA 98507 Phone: (360) 956-3482, Fax: (360) 352-1874 Email: effwa@effwa.org