A retired U.S. Marine who runs a Massachusetts high school's ROTC program says he faces termination if he doesn't pay a $500 union fee by next week, a levy he refuses to pay because he already receives medical and dental benefits from the military.No better than the mafia ... and they act like it too. Another reason Sal lives in a right-to-work state. Maggie?
Maj. Stephen Godin, senior naval science instructor at the Naval Junior ROTC Unit at North High School in Worcester, Mass., told FoxNews.com he has been teaching for the Educational Association for Worcester for 15 years -- including 14 at North High School -- without having to join the union or pay an "agency fee" toward the cost of collective bargaining.
"I just want to save my job here," the 58-year-old father of two said. "I've been doing this for 15 years. Nobody has ever told me to join the union or be terminated."
...
An official with the Massachusetts Teachers Association said state law requires public employees -- including teachers at public schools -- to join unions as a condition of employment or to pay an agency fee.
But Godin says he should be exempt from the law since he receives military benefits, including medical and dental insurance.
"So that's nothing to do with Worcester there," he said. "Neither the union nor the Worcester Public Schools have allowed me to make that argument. It's just the union that wants my money."
Godin, who retired from the Marines in 1994 after logging more than 2,000-plus hours flying F-4 Phantoms and five overseas deployments, said he has not hired an attorney.
"That would cost me money, too," he said.
Hat tip MTH.
23 comments:
I'm curious if JROTC Instructors in other places have had this problem or if this just happens in the People's Repu...er Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Sadly, he will lose without a lawyer. A proper [and highly paid] mouthpiece can hurl threats and legalisms back and forth with the bureaucrats, and convince them that the cost for litgation will far exceed the cost of overlooking or waiving this fee.
Shakespeare was right. But neglected to mention the thug union leaders as equal priority.
I am sure he would be welcome to teach NJROTC in any other state.
I'd suggest pushing this to Matt, Greyhawk, Eagle1, Soldier's Angels and the rest of the usual suspects.....who knows...maybe a great lawyer, with a some guts will provide some pro-bono to a shipmate....
Do a little back channel work with your connections in low places...for higher things.
I'm gonna run this up the Flagpole at LGF right now.
Just emailed it to a buddy with family up that way...what the heck...even moral support would be great at this point....if not lawyers.
this has been on every talk radio outlet in Boston, I think the problem is going to quietly go away.
Oh and I love how you call me out like I am responsible for the whole state....lol, I'm just a Swabbie Doxie struggling to pay attention to all my Sailors.
Yeah, early industrial unions did a good job fighting some brutal working conditions ... but today's public sector unions are just flat out leeches. Public sector unions should be illegal. I'm fine with private sector unions ... if they bleed their company dry then the market will punish them. But public sector unions just recycle their tax-payer funded salaries into campaign contributions for leftists who will raise more taxes to pay the unions ... it's a viciously destructive cycle.
Mags...."all my Sailorss?" Mutlitask faster!
Maggie... embrace your power! ;)
You say "no better than the Mafia" as if SEIU and AFSCME didn't share staff with them.
I would agree that back at the beginning of the industrial revolution unions helped bring about necessary change in the working conditions and lives of the common employee. But in today's age our "robust" legal system, OSHA, and others pretty much have things covered.
Unions should be looking out for their members, but many go to the extremes and in the long run can actually destroy the company. Detroit is the perfect example - if you can't fire or layoff employees you will bankrupt the company.
I have never understood the public sector unions. I didn't even know they existed until the mini-mart on North Island (near Airpac) was converted into a union office. So not ony do they have a union they have offices on base - how does that work?
Boston Maggie said it. A little publicity goes a long way in these situations. Humiliates the SOB's. Chris Christie has the right idea.
Where is the ACLU here? Huh? Here is where this guy is having his rights violated and they are absent.
Oh thats right, there is no liberal agenda here to support - just a hard working vet.
I'm certain that, with very little organizing or notice, a large number of veterans could be assembled to appear at this High School in solidarity with the good Marine.
If the Union thugs think that they have clout, they ain't seen nothing like what GOE, Rolling Thunder, etc, could bring to bear in defense of veterans.
Having done a tour in that neck of the woods, I've met Steve Godin several times. Quality officer & very active wtih the local veteran groups. More importantly, he does a good job with the NJROTC unit there. For all Worcester's faults, it is still a blue-collar area that respects the military so getting support ought not to be too hard. OTOH, unions still run everything & most of the teachers are as liberal as they come. Was happy to move.
My wife is a teacher here in Minnesota. Each year she (we) get sucked into paying $560 annually to union dues, wasted on a union President who goes on TV with my money telling me that we are short changing our schools. Not in my area, where we just opened a $77million high school, and two elementary and two middles schools are newer.
This story just sucks - may the good Major prevail.
I did a stint in a union yard once (that a few years later went under due to economic foolishness and the fact that the union refused to work across crafts which would have kept them open) and third night there was told that I could pay my union dues monthly or weekly, which would I like. I told the shop steward, A) tell me one thing the union can guarantee that they can do that I can't do for myself and B) did it really matter as I was very junior in seniority and I'd be laid off anyway. He was a little ticky with me. I told him if I didn't like the money, I'd walk. If I didn't like the way the boss treated me, I'd either walk or bust him in the chops, and if it wasn't safe I'd either walk or get someone to fix it.
Unions suck. It takes twice the people to get the same job done as non-union and it takes twice as long.
Interseting, since the federal governement has definded "agency fee" as only those charges related to the unions cost for negotiation of the general contract, I don't see where he can be billed for any medical insurance by the union, if he did not volentarily sign up for it. I suggest the Major use his rights to demand an accounting for the $500 charge, and make sure none of those money is going to political, health, or other service the union cannot require non-members under federal law to pay.
This Marine has acted stupidly-Barack
Barack thinks everyone acts stupidly except Barack. But it seems that less than half of the people agree with him these days. Far less than half.
Isn't the Major required to accept the private health insurance and use TriCare as a secondary?
I was...
OK, we took care of it!
Bill frees ROTC instructors from fees
http://www.telegram.com/article/20100615/NEWS/6150423/1116
Gov Patrick signed it today. It was proposed by State Senator Richard Tisei who is running for LT Gov on the ticket with Charlie Baker.
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