California’s ruling leftists never cease of reminding us how concerned they are with the rights of the homeless, the rights of illegal aliens, and the rights of minorities. That sanctimonious concern vanishes like vape smoke when the rights threaten to interfere with the left’s stranglehold on government power.
Writing at The Hill, Deborah J. La Fetra and Jeffrey M. Schwab recount how California’s leftist politicians use raw government power to help unions continue to strong-arm workers into contributing money into the union’s political fund to keep leftist politicians in power.
It starts with the Supreme Court decision in Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Janus worked in a state where even if an employee didn’t want to join the union, he was still forced to pay “agency fees…to cover the union’s costs for collective bargaining.” And it just so happened the agency fees were almost exactly the same as what it would cost to join the union in the first place.
The court ruled this arrangement was unconstitutional. “The court reasoned that collective bargaining with a government agency is inherently political because it involves tax dollars and government budgets. Workers have a First Amendment right to avoid being forced to subsidize political speech against their will.” Even that overlooked the fact that much of the “collective bargaining” money from agency fees found its way into the union’s political action committee. That PAC money then went to support leftists many of the employees would never have contributed to on their own.
Naturally, no longer getting agency fees would be a big hit to unions' treasuries and leftists' campaign funds. Then the question became if the Supreme Court issued a ruling in the middle of the forest would those affected hear about it?
In California the answer is: No.
It surely wasn’t a coincidence that on the very same day the Janus ruling was issued, former Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law “that forbids public agencies from communicating with their employees about union membership and dues.” The only people allowed to communicate with workers are the same union officials who will be denied money if the employees opt out.
As La Fetra and Schwab conclude, “All these provisions, dubbed the ‘Gag Rule’ statutes, are intended to keep public workers ignorant of their constitutional rights. Workers can’t exercise rights they don’t know they have.” Even if the employees are informed of their rights through other means, unions still impose extra-legal roadblocks that prevent employees from resigning.
It’s an exercise of raw, naked power to enrich unions and politicians at the expense of the workers the left claims to care so much about.
Currently the Pacific Legal Foundation and Liberty Justice Center are representing employees who want out and want the ‘Gag Rule’ nullified. It’s a lawsuit that would never have been necessary if the leftists who rule California weren’t complete hypocrites.
Michael Reagan, the eldest son of President Reagan, is a Newsmax TV analyst. A syndicated columnist and author, he chairs The Reagan Legacy Foundation. Michael is an in-demand speaker with Premiere speaker’s bureau. Read more reports from Michael Reagan — Go Here Now.
Michael R. Shannon is a commentator, researcher for the League of American Voters, and an award-winning political and advertising consultant with nationwide and international experience. He is author of "Conservative Christian’s Guidebook for Living in Secular Times (Now with added humor!)." Read more of Michael Shannon's reports — Go Here Now.
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