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| Governor Snyder |
School districts and universities in Michigan rushed to sign
last minute contract extensions that effectively bypass the new
right to work law.
The right to work law went into effect last Thursday, but
prior to
the law going into effect at least forty-one school districts and five
colleges had approved contracts that circumvent the new law, for a few
years. There may be a price to pay, however; Republicans in the
Michigan House of Representatives are threatening to apply costly
sanctions on these districts and institutions. The
Detroit Free Press reports:
“House Republicans have voted for budgets
that cut funding for the institutions and districts that signed
contracts between Dec. 10, 2012 — the day that the right-to-work bills
received final passage and a signature from Gov. Rick Snyder — and
Thursday.
Under the law, any contracts in place
before the law goes into effect on Thursday, would be legally binding
until they expire, including provisions mandating that employees pay
union dues. So school districts, colleges, even Washtenaw County
employees, negotiated new contracts or extended current pacts to be in
place before the law takes effect.”
And
“The cuts, which would take effect if the
education and community officials can’t prove at least a 10% savings
from the contracts, would: cut 15% from state appropriations to
universities;
eliminate a 2% increase that has been slated for community colleges;
cut technology and performance grants for K-12 public schools, and
withhold some revenue-sharing funds from communities.”
Universities stand to lose the most. For instance, the University of Michigan could lose up to forty-seven million dollars.
Governor Snyder has been cautious in commenting on the budget bills
because they are still subject to a few modifications. “If people are
bargaining in good faith and showing real benefits, I don’t believe they
should be penalized,” Snyder said. “But if they’re simply extending the
date, then I can see legislators having a concern.”
The contract extensions will lock members into financially supporting
their respective union for up to ten years. So, even though
right to work was passed with the intent of giving employees the freedom
to choose whether or not to support a union, many will be forced,
against their will, to finance a union.
Enter three brave teachers from the Taylor, Michigan School District. The three
filed a lawsuit
against the school board and the Taylor Federation of Teachers over an
extension, one that will bind them to continued financial support of
the union until 2023,
while also facing a 10 percent pay cut.
Angela Steffke, Rebecca Metz and Nancy Rhatigan are the three
teachers
who value their freedom. “This is about our civil rights,” Steffke, a
special education teacher in the Taylor school district, said in a press
release. “This is about fighting for our freedom of association and
fighting against coercion in the workplace.”
They believe the union security clause is illegal for a couple of
reasons:
- They argue Michigan law prohibits such an agreement from lasting longer than the collective bargaining agreement.
- Additionally, they argue the law prohibits such agreements from
binding future school boards to honor them, which is the case in Taylor.
“This is really a union insecurity clause, because rather than
proving its worth to members, the union is forcing all teachers to
continue paying dues or agency fees through 2023,” Derk Wilcox, the
Mackinac Center Legal Foundation’s senior attorney, explained to the
Detroit Free Press.
Labor leaders have also alluded to a 2014 ballot push to
repeal the legislation.
Legal Filings on Behalf of Three Taylor Teachers
Video: MCLF Press Conference: Taylor Teachers Sue Union and District
