Do you, or anyone you know, work with a “parasite?”

[KansDem]

Perhaps this only happens in “right to work” states. My wife works at a college in Kansas, and belongs to the KNEA (“Kansas National Education Association”), the “dreaded” education union. She has worked there for 16 years and been a member of KNEA during all that time. The union dues are currently about $400 a year, so although that’s a significant chunk of change, the union support and benefits makes it a wise investment. The KNEA campus representatives work hard for their members in going toe-to-toe with the administrators and their mediators.

There is a peculiar situation (perhaps unique to “right to work” states) that exists at the school. Two colleagues who work in my wife’s department adamantly refuse to join KNEA. One is a staunch GOPer and the other leans Repuke. Not only do they refuse to join KNEA, they bad mouth unions constantly. That’s to be expected, however, what I find amusing is they also reap the benefits the union gets for its members: Regular raises, medical/dental benefits, sick leave, etc. They refuse to join and support the union, and even criticize it (and the individual campus union representatives), but they sure as Hell don’t complain about getting the benefits since they receive the same package as the union members (there is no “two-tiered” system for members and nonmembers; everybody gets the same salaries and benefits). All this without becoming a member and paying the dues!

Some of the faculty, who are staunch KNEA members, have come to call these people “parasites.”

The next time my wife hears them complaining about the KNEA (usually around recruitment time when KNEA members talk to nonmembers about joining), she’s going to say, “You don’t REALLY want to work for the wages the college president wants to pay you, do you?”

Any similar situations with other DUers?

[displacedtexan]

1. Every year at contract negotiation time

I was given 'wish lists' by non-union teachers, who expected me to represent their interests at the bargaining table.
LOL! I 86ed the lists every single time.

Fair Share!

[JanMichael]

2. Oh dear gawd. I'd have a hard time being cordial to that.

Answer? No, I haven't had the displeasure. Then again I'm an exempt salaried "white collar" gummint worker (planner) who doesn't have any union representation.

[Drifter]

3. How are they able ...

to reap the benefits, and not pay the dues.

And more importantly, why aren't you doing the same.

Cheers
Drifter

[KansDem]

5. Consider us "old fashion"

My wife grew up in a staunch Democratic household (and Kansas farm family, if you can imagine that!), and I was reared by a stepfather who (I suspect) was progressive, and who worked for a shipping line (albeit "white collar"). Many times growing up I heard about "Bloody Thursday."

But more importantly, we feel that if one is to receive the help and support of a union, then it would behoove that person to join that union and pay dues. That's a fair exchange.

If one is not going to join but still receive the same deal (at my wife's college, EVERYBODY--union and nonunion alike--gets the same package. I don't know why; perhaps there should be a two-tiered system: union benefits for union members with nonmembers on their own to "negotiate" with the administration. But for now, that's the way it is), then it might wise (prudent?) to remain silent about criticizing the union. After all, you don't want to badmouth the hand that feeds you.

Incidentally, no nonmember of KNEA has offered to turn down the benefits or raises negotiated for its members.

[put out]

13. I'm NEA in Kansas as well.

Sounds like your wife works with a couple of stupid-heads. But, it is true here that bargaining unit members receive all the benefits the union has negotiated for them. Real unfair. I count the dues as part of the price of doing business, and my union has helped me out on a couple of occasions.

Where my partner works, he can only be an "associate member" of his union, as he is now management. He pays less, and receives none of the benefits. But, he still pays and supports the union. For goodness sake, he wouldn't be management now if it were not for union intervention. We both get a good chuckle out of people who whine about paying union dues, but are first to whine to the union about needing protection. Usually from themselves.

[forgethell]

16. I think they get the same

benefits because federal law requires the union to represent everybody.

Some people disapprove of unions on political, philosophical or even moral grounds. Please don't ask me to explain why, but I know several such. Should they be forced to pay? Perhaps. In non-right-to-work states they are.

[HereSince1628]

4. Does the union get "fair share" from 'the parasites?'

When I taught in MN all full time people had to pay 'fair share' costs of bargaining. Fair share was almost the same as full dues.
I have no idea how Kansas labor law works, some places require fair share and some don't.

I have no doubt that the expression "parasite" has more than rhetorical consequences for those people. I imagine that the concern over their use of free-speech has impacts on a range of on the job issues (like committee assignments, class assignments, etc) as well as social interactions (sort of doubt if there are only 2 parasites they are very popular on the faculty party circuit).

[KansDem]

8. No "fair share" as far as I can tell...

You are free to join the union or not. The union bargains for better conditions, salaries, benefits, etc. for its members. Nonmembers also share in the outcome of the union's efforts; there is no "two-tiered" system. Fortunately, a vast majority of faculty are members, and are so, I suspect, due to personal convictions. Personally, I wouldn't feel right about having the benefits of union representation without belonging to that union, but that could just be one of my quirks.

Voluntary membership in unions, and the situations that arise from it, might be unique to "right to work" states.

[Carl Spackler]

6. Well, my wife dropped out of the NEA

She teaches Jr. High and got sick of the dues going to all sorts of things way beyond collective bargaining. So she still gets the benefits of the negotiations (she has no say in the matter - if she works in the school system she is paid according to the contract) but pays no dues. She would gladly pay the portion of dues to cover the costs of negotiating the contract, strike fund, etc. but there's no way to do that.

[sangh0]

10. SO she takes the benefits

and avoids the dues. Does she donate (to the union) the portion of the dues that she feels is appropriate?

She would gladly pay the portion of dues to cover the costs of negotiating the contract, strike fund, etc. but there's no way to do that

SHe could donate it to the union

[Taeger]

18. Should be a law

There should be a law that denies non-union members the benefits of union negotiation. It's just not right.

Right to work is fine. But if your not a member, you shouldn't get the benefits.

[skippysmom]

7. Here in Mass

If you don't join the union, you have to pay a fee to opt out -- a fee that is about the same as dues.

[Carl Spackler]

9. Where does the fee go?

That was her only gripe - that her dues were going to things beyond collective bargaining and related costs. She'd be happy to pay her fair share for collective bargaining.

[RapidCreek]

11. We call them scabs where I come from

The major employer in my town is a lumber mill...formerly owned by Homestake...now owned by Pope and Talbot. It should be stated that the state in which I live, SD, is a right to work state. That being said, in the mid 80's the workers at the mill decided to unionize and subsequently went on strike. Because there was, at the time, a severe shortage of qualified, knowledgeable workers the union had Homestake by the balls. They picketed for better benefits and higher pay. My next door neighbor was vocally anti-union, broke the picket lines and scabbed with about 20 others for a month. Those on the picket line went without pay and received a small stipend from the union to tide them over. The union won on all counts in its negotiations with Homestake.

Funny thing is my neighbor and his fellow scabs...all of whom swore complete loyalty to the company and parroted "the company will go out of business if we give in to the union" line were more than happy to accept and enjoy the benefits the union won...for the next fifteen years. They sacrificed nothing, received full pay during the strike and didn't have the balls to turn down the increased wage or insurance benefits the union garnered it's members.

As far as whether I worked with scabs...yes I have....rather frequently. Most folks out here believe themselves to be rugged individualist fronteirsmen....in reality they are nutless ignorant rednecks. They've been convinced they should be happy "to just have a job" and seem not to understand that those employing them should be happy that their work affords them wealth beyond reason....and without it they would be shit out of luck.

RC

[Taeger]

19. Wage freezes for scabs

In those cases, there should be a law that prevents strike breakers from taking advantage of negotiation for a period of time. Say a year. They would be required by law to receive the same increase they had for the previous year (if any).

[ninkasi]

12. Before I retired...

I worked for 25 years in a "right to work" state. As a union member, I was always amused when the non members not only expected to share the benefits of salary, benefits, etc, but also came to the union for representation when they filed grievances against management.

Some people questioned why we fought for their rights, too. Our answer was that even though they weren't in the union, we couldn't let management set precedents that would harm us all. Some of them became union members later, once they had been screwed over by the managers.

[woofless]

14. What anti-union workers refuse to acknowlege

is that every significant bennie they get was won by organized labor. COLA's, overtime pay, 40 hr. week, health care insurance, vacations.............the list goes on. I never worked for a union shop in 30 years as a printer but I always knew that the benefits we enjoyed were won for us by our union brothers and sisters who fought, bled and sometimes died for their beliefs.

Woof

[Bunny]

15. Our agency has unionized staff.

For the longest time people did not have to join the union or pay dues, but still reaped all the benefits of membership, most importantly (in my mind, anyway) health care and job security.

Last year when we negotiated the latest contract with the union, they finally pushed for mandatory dues for all bargaining unit eligible employees. I believe it's official now, any new hires have to pay union dues, whether they join or not.

Seems only fair to me.

[Name removed]

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