House Bill 2079 Passes

[Go Aweigh2452]

Anyone on this board is union... check it out... you got shafted today...

The WA Senate passed HB 2079 "Concerning use of agency shop fees", which would do an end run around the pending U.S. Supreme Court case and allow unions to use mandatory non-member fees for political purposes without prior permission.

And it has an emergency clause!

The bill passed on a nearly party-line 29 -20. No Republicans voted YES. The only Democrats to vote NO were Kilmer, Sheldon and Hargrove.

For me this means a portion of the fees ($89/month) we pay to the school union can be used for political causes as the WEA (Washington Education Ass.) sees fit....

Unions obviously own the legislature...

The unions get theirs, but the state employess get shafted. In two ways it seems. First their pensions continue to go unfunded and second their pay checks get smaller (union graft!)

No one should be surprised at this payoff legislation. :(

[pkrogh]

It seems to me that the 'Olympians' have been taking lessons from the D.C.
crowd.

It's getting worse every year!

Pete

[SomeSailor]

Not a big union fan myself. They've had their place in our history, but cause more issues than they solve these days.

Luckily, we're not required to be a part of SPEEA in the group at Boeing I work in.

What do your union dues cost Doug?

[Go Aweigh2452]

Dues are $89 per month... includes $29 for three mag/rags per month and who knows what else... but I have been reluctant to sign the contract with the union and will probably be asked to leave if I don't sign soon...

[SomeSailor]

It's a mixed bag for us here. We're FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) exempt, so we get all the overtime we can stand (56 hour week is the average for my group), but it's only paid at time + $6.75 /hr. They make up for any union consesions in salary though. The duckets are pretty good and in no shortage in our part of the company.

I can see how the union would be nice in some ways... but too expensive in the end.

[Go Aweigh2452]

I can see how the union would be nice in some ways... but too expensive in the end.

yep, just look at GM and Ford... They are buried in retiree benefits and union contracts and will some day vanish or get a big bail out from Government...

I think the next economic down turn will do them and several other union run businesses down the drain...

[Tedster]

My take is that the unions were very necessary in the early days of this country & very unnecessary currently. Way too many laws that protect workers in companies that are non-union too make them needed in companies that are union. ;)

[kirkster5]

Yeah, if we get rid of all the Unions than we would all get pay and benifits like WallMart..........oh maybe not such a good idea.

[SomeSailor]

Yeah, if we get rid of all the Unions than we would all get pay and benifits like WallMart..........oh maybe not such a good idea.

I dunno... I'm non-union and being paid as good or better than union engineering out in the plant for doing the same thing.

Boeing's working hard to make non-union salaries more attractive than union in many parts of the business I suspect. I'm OK with it. :)

[Tedster]

I seriously doubt that, but if that is your skill level then maybe....'eh! :shock:

[Randygh]

While I worked as an enforcment officer for WDFW I belonged to the officers union. I'm not much of a union person, but the enforcement officers union really looked out for us. The chief pushed for some work details that were not good for the grunt in the field and the officers who did the negotiating worked sincerely to the benefit of all. Granted there is only several hundred enforcment officers, but the union was worthwhile for us.

[Go Aweigh2452]

Well, I think unions stink in schools. We have 182 days to teach but wait... unions say we should have "learning Improvement Days" (LIT) so we have several of them (5) as no student days. Last two I went to were totally bogus... Had a couple of queers from Seattle told the teachers (after a 3 hour preping time) to stand up if they felt queer and join them... blah blah blah... and no Mike, I did not stand up... Last two LIT's were about feeling good about ourselves and how we are to give homework but not make it graded... and how to prevent bullying in your classrooms.... AND unions made it mandatory that every Wednesday is a half day of school so we can meet as teachers and discuss stuff... So far I have seen all teachers meet once per month, not once per week and if you drive by Bremerton on Wednesday after noon, you'll see about half the cars are gone that should be there... By 1, you can probably count them all on one or two hands... Yea, I LOVE school unions... We also have 10 days of special pay which means you don't have to go to work those days but if you at least show up sometime those days and sign in, you get a full days pay... OK, so now we are down to 168 days of school but wait... We have WASL time... 10 more days where we test kids in reading writing and math and starting next year we add science and then add history... So currently we are now at 158 days of "seat time"... Next year, take 5 more days away for science and maybe a few more for history WASL testing...

Oh, and year round schools won't work well in WA either... because the union already has the laws that say teachers can teach only 2/3 year. That means more teachers hired to rotate every 2/3 of a year, all year round...

The union froze our NJROTC pay at this school so we are not entitled any raises and the stipend for teaching drill and after/before school activities has been the same for over 15 years...

but they say they are working for us...

[SomeSailor]

I hear ya Doug; Diane has three of her parents who are educators (they prefer not to be called teachers... no kidding). The time spent for teacher-only days has amazed me over the last few years. Most kids aren't passing the WASL... and we're spending tax dollars coaching teachers on their sexual frustrations huh?


I seriously doubt that, but if that is your skill level then maybe....'eh! :shock:

Hey Ted... it's not the lucrative fast-paced world of pleasure boat sales... but yes... Mod Services Engineering and Tech Services Engineering lures guys out of the Production every day.

We can't strike... we're exempt from fair labor standards... and have no sustaining production lines. The only way they attract people is with the pay. I'm sure the union doesn't like it... but it's true.

[Tedster]

Mikey, I was refering to the post above you (with a humorous jab) buddy, not you so, no worries, and sorry you took it that way. :D

[SomeSailor]

Maybe you should try the "Quote" button sometime then Ted.

I get paid just fine, and frankly I wouldn't personally benefit at all from Union representation was my only point. There are 1,200 or so engineers in my organization, most non-SPEA, and I suspect they like it that way. But, we're just selling lines on a computer screen and don't "build" anything. In a production environment I'm sure the unions are more popular.

[Tedster]

Mike I think both you and Doug have the right attitude, and thanks. :D

[Randygh]

Wow, three hours prep time and then ask if anyone in the audience is gay? What the hell does that have to do with teaching our students?

When the Admiral and I were in high school (yes we were high school sweathearts), the girls PE teacher was a lesbian. We went to a small high school with only one women's PE instructor. She was a good teacher. Her sexual orientation wasn't an issue. No reason why it should be as long as she was doing her job.

[dljdad]

As someone who is very proud to be called a teacher, I've got to butt in.

I am a commissioner at a small rural hospital. We deal with two unions. One is great to work with. The other is a pain in the .....

I spent 20 years as a non-union worker and business owner. It was OK at best. I was lucky and had fair employers. After returning to school and getting my degree I joined the Teacher's Union and while I haven't had to use it to this point, others have. Yes, in many cases, unions are still needed.

The union has nothing to do with days spent on the WASL. Saying so is simply bull. At our school LID days are divided between classroom time where we can catch up or work with others teachers at our grade level and district chosen topics. Again, the union can have input as to the topics but it does not make the choice.

Dave
Willapa Harbor