The state House passed a bill today that would prohibit schools from deducting union dues from teachers’ paychecks. The bill doesn’t say they don’t have to provide this service, it says they are prohibited from providing this service.
Why? It’s definitely not a cost-saving measure. School administrators agree that the cost to schools for providing this service to teachers is neglible. No, this is simply a way to hurt the teachers’ union. Republican Representative Joe Haveman of Holland puts it this way:
I don’t understand how giving people money back in their paycheck is a bad thing..It makes them more accountable. It’s better if they have to make that conscious decision on a monthly basis [to pay their union dues.]
Let’s not kid ourselves: it also makes it WAY more inconvenient and more likely that teachers will either forget or simply quit doing it because of the inconvenience. Kinda like a donation to your favorite charity. For example, each month I have a little bit taken from my paycheck for the United Way. If I had to write a check each month, particularly in this day and age when I pay all of my bills online, I’d frankly probably forget to do it. It would literally be the only check I have to write each month.
According to GONGWER News Service, Democratic Representative Lisa Brown of West Bloomfield asked Mr. Haveman if the state should remove the option legislators have to donate a portion of their paycheck to charitable organizations, or if he just had a problem with automatic deductions going to unions. It’s a fair question given that this is a convenience provided to legislators. His response? He said he hadn’t thought of that (but would be open to such an amendment.)
I’m sure we’ll have a bill before the Legislature any day now prohibiting the state from deducting charitable donations from the lawmakers’ paychecks.
Because, as everyone knows, it’s better if they have to make that conscious decision on a monthly basis.
