Most of you know I recently retired from teaching. Many of you know I was not a member of the teachers union. A few of you might know that I took the union before the State Employment Relations Board a number of years ago because the union screwed up a procedural thing involving collecting an agency shop fee - and won, me against the mighty union and their high priced law firm.
For many years, the union has had to send me the non-chargeable amount of the full union dues and then I send them a check for the full amount. This procedure is in state law. I can give you more details, but want to keep this thing fairly short.
Last year they posted the amount owed on the bulletin board, as usual. I made a copy of the posting as usual, and then paid them, as usual.
A couple weeks ago I got a letter from the local union treasurer asking me to pony up another $54 to fulfill my "obligation" to the OEA. Having a copy of their posting of what was owed, my cancelled check, and a receipt from the building rep saying I had paid, I ignored it just like I do other solicitations for money that come in the mail.
Today I get an email from my school treasurer asking me if I had made my last payment to the union and whether or not she should withhold it from my final paycheck.
It seems the union, in order to finance their very expensive campaign against a public employee union reform law that was to take effect last year, had assessed all members an additional one time fee at some point in the school year. They never told me about it. Now they are expecting me to pay the fee.
Point 1 - I am not a member. Point 2 - this is definitely a political thing and therefore not chargeable. Point 3 - the school cannot withhold anything for the union without my permission. This last point is why I took the union before SERB years ago and won, denying them any of their blood money that year but volunteering to give it to the FCA so those high school kids could take needy elementary kids Christmas shopping.
So, I replied to the treasurer with a detailed explanation of the history of this issue and sent a copy of the reply to my attorney's office. The illegal withholding at the direction of the union flack last time cost them $500 or so, and the conduct of their lawyer at the SERB hearing led me to believe he was expecting me to ask for punitive damages, which I didn't. It might be different this time if they pull that stunt again, especially since I have proof that I paid exactly what they said was due and also have proof that I denied the school permission to withhold anything.
Oh yeah, for you union guys, explain why it took no less than 5 visits by different trucks and different teams of guys about a week to put a sign in my front saying "Road Work Ahead" - all getting paid at around $35 per hour plus benny's and costing hours/fuel for the trucks?
They sent one (maybe two) guy(s) to locate where the sign goes, paint the road in white and put in a wooden stake. Then another guy had to check it and write OK in orange on the road. Then another truck and at least one guy but probably two (driver and sign mover) dropped the sign on a short stake off. Then another truck towing a compressor and two guys put another stake in the ground. Then another truck, probably with another two guys, came and the sign was affixed to the post.
And people wonder why I am not in favor of more government and more public employee unions! Sheesh!
Most of you know I recently retired from teaching. Many of you know I was not a member of the teachers union. A few of you might know that I took the union before the State Employment Relations Board a number of years ago because the union screwed up a procedural thing involving collecting an agency shop fee - and won, me against the mighty union and their high priced law firm.
For many years, the union has had to send me the non-chargeable amount of the full union dues and then I send them a check for the full amount. This procedure is in state law. I can give you more details, but want to keep this thing fairly short.
Last year they posted the amount owed on the bulletin board, as usual. I made a copy of the posting as usual, and then paid them, as usual.
A couple weeks ago I got a letter from the local union treasurer asking me to pony up another $54 to fulfill my "obligation" to the OEA. Having a copy of their posting of what was owed, my cancelled check, and a receipt from the building rep saying I had paid, I ignored it just like I do other solicitations for money that come in the mail.
Today I get an email from my school treasurer asking me if I had made my last payment to the union and whether or not she should withhold it from my final paycheck.
It seems the union, in order to finance their very expensive campaign against a public employee union reform law that was to take effect last year, had assessed all members an additional one time fee at some point in the school year. They never told me about it. Now they are expecting me to pay the fee.
Point 1 - I am not a member. Point 2 - this is definitely a political thing and therefore not chargeable. Point 3 - the school cannot withhold anything for the union without my permission. This last point is why I took the union before SERB years ago and won, denying them any of their blood money that year but volunteering to give it to the FCA so those high school kids could take needy elementary kids Christmas shopping.
So, I replied to the treasurer with a detailed explanation of the history of this issue and sent a copy of the reply to my attorney's office. The illegal withholding at the direction of the union flack last time cost them $500 or so, and the conduct of their lawyer at the SERB hearing led me to believe he was expecting me to ask for punitive damages, which I didn't. It might be different this time if they pull that stunt again, especially since I have proof that I paid exactly what they said was due and also have proof that I denied the school permission to withhold anything.
Oh yeah, for you union guys, explain why it took no less than 5 visits by different trucks and different teams of guys about a week to put a sign in my front saying "Road Work Ahead" - all getting paid at around $35 per hour plus benny's and costing hours/fuel for the trucks?
They sent one (maybe two) guy(s) to locate where the sign goes, paint the road in white and put in a wooden stake. Then another guy had to check it and write OK in orange on the road. Then another truck and at least one guy but probably two (driver and sign mover) dropped the sign on a short stake off. Then another truck towing a compressor and two guys put another stake in the ground. Then another truck, probably with another two guys, came and the sign was affixed to the post.
And people wonder why I am not in favor of more government and more public employee unions! Sheesh!
Thanks for listening, guys.
Really, the state/county saved money by doing it this way. Could you imagine if the sign was placed a few inches from where it's supposed to be? It could cost upwards of $75,000 to move that sign just a few inches. What are you complaining about? LOL!
Teach, I had to join two unions in my life, just for the privilege of working to support my family. They never did a single postive thing for me, because the jobs were given to me because of my ability and experience. Why should I have to pay dues to work, so some lazy office bum can go play golf with his crooked friends? Those unions, by the way, are almost exrinct now, because they priced their members out of the jobs they had, and the jobs went mostly to legal AND illegal immigrants! The construction industry in California is now almost exclusively hispanic workers, with one or two white bosses on each job. It REALLY puts MY tighty whiteys in a knot, and nothing has ever been done about it. If they'd just send ICE and a bus to each job, they could clean up on a LOT of the illegals in the state!
What you saw in regards to the sign placement is called Bluestake. Before a post is driven or any excavation work done the site needs to be inspected and signed off by any utility companies that have anything buried in the area. Gas, electric, fibre optic etc. Sometimes can take several visits by all parties involved. BTW as a retired DOT worker my highest rate of pay was $$19.50 hr.
As for the union goons, stick it to em. Just another thing we don't need.
Alas, the unions have taken down their members not unlike a lion to the neck of a zebra. The lust for money and power has driven them into a pillaging frenzy not so much different from the other politicians that have taxed it's voting populous into oblivion. Long ago they veered from the course for improving working conditions into a money grabbing industry unto themselves. You're rant is valid Teach. Many members will suffer the fate of their self nurishing agenda before this economy ever gets straightened out. Money and power have corrupted the best of intensions. Include them in the bandwagon.
I knew my dad worked at a place that was a Teamster shop. I asked him if the union did anything to help him with raises and such. Dad told me that they didn't do anything but take money. He said that one time he paid his dues (just like Seabee said, just to work there), the union sent him a letter telling him that he didn't pay the dues. So dad took the letter to them along with the proof that the dues were paid. The union didn't care, they said they show that the dues were not paid and had to be paid. Dad ended up paying dues twice.
Dad also said that was back when times were hard and the extra dues didn't help any. I said to dad, that unions were suppose to get you better raises. Dad told me the only raises that were being had was for the ones in the union and high up places. Dad still hates unions.
__________________ Take what you can, give nothing back: Capt Jack Sparrow
Teach, I had to join two unions in my life, just for the privilege of working to support my family. They never did a single postive thing for me, because the jobs were given to me because of my ability and experience. Why should I have to pay dues to work, so some lazy office bum can go play golf with his crooked friends? Those unions, by the way, are almost exrinct now, because they priced their members out of the jobs they had, and the jobs went mostly to legal AND illegal immigrants! The construction industry in California is now almost exclusively hispanic workers, with one or two white bosses on each job. It REALLY puts MY tighty whiteys in a knot, and nothing has ever been done about it. If they'd just send ICE and a bus to each job, they could clean up on a LOT of the illegals in the state!
Seabee Sir, I don't know how long you have been out of Calif, but things haven't changed. You still have the white guy on the crew, and one mesican that speaks English to tell the other mesicans what needs doin. They build a house from the ground up. From the cement foundation, the framing, electrical, plumbing, dry wall, painting, and toppin it off with the roofers. One thing I can say is that mesicans can work cement. But when you've played with mud all your life I guess it come natural LOL.
__________________ Take what you can, give nothing back: Capt Jack Sparrow
What you saw in regards to the sign placement is called Bluestake. Before a post is driven or any excavation work done the site needs to be inspected and signed off by any utility companies that have anything buried in the area. Gas, electric, fibre optic etc. Sometimes can take several visits by all parties involved. BTW as a retired DOT worker my highest rate of pay was $$19.50 hr.
As for the union goons, stick it to em. Just another thing we don't need.
In Ohio, it's OUPS - everyone calls it oops!. Ohio Utilities Protection Service.
I'm in the boonies. The gas line is obvious about 100 yards north of the sign location. The power and phone lines are obvious overhead. There are no water lines or sewer lines. Oops was first with the white paint and the stake. I have no idea who did the orange OK. ODOT dropped the sign off, Another ODOT team set the first stake. Another ODOT team bolted the sign to the stake. That still sounds like about 6 people too many to me.
I got the $35 figure at a county Farm Bureau meeting last night when the county engineer introduced a resolution that Farm Bureau oppose a new regulation coming from the state that the county should hire more contract workers at prevailing wage (Union wage, same as paid to state workers) of $38 per hour instead of using county employees getting paid about half that much and still making a decent living since they aren't having to pay blackmail to the union. Basically the new regulation shifts the percentage of contract work in favor of more union work and less county employee work. I figured the county engineer probably knew what he was talking about.
P.S. I just checked email. My response to the email from the school treasurer detailed what I sketchily outlined above, ending with me specifically denying her the right to withhold union payment from my last check. Her response just tickled me all over. I quote: " Rich: You ROCK! :-)".
__________________ Teach
ALL who work for a living must vote to outvote those who vote for a living.
Naah, I could shut it down anytime I want by writing them a check for $54. There's a principle involved in that they should do things correctly and did not. I might end up writing that check, but they're going to have to work for it. If it gets to be an annoyance to me instead of fun to twist the tigers tail, no problem. I will not let it seriously annoy me - I want to annoy them this time around. I figure if they spend just an hour of lawyer time on it they've already lost, even if I write them a check.
__________________ Teach
ALL who work for a living must vote to outvote those who vote for a living.
8Likes
Teach
