California state workers, subjected to forced unionism, will have little to say about the new 50% increase in dues money and “fair-share” payments the SEIU has assessed upon them. Why the increase?
Local 1000 donated $6.7 million in member dues to defeat an initiative on the ballot that would have required unions to obtain written consent from members before money could be used for political purposes. That sent the union into economic chaos.
According to the Capitol Weekly (page 7), the new assessment raised dues to $90 a month leaving members upset with the decision. “To them, we are a huge ATM machine. Because of that they spend, spend, spend,” said Ken Hamidi who is organizing other members to fight the dues hike. Hamidi also notes that a large portion of the dues hike goes right to SEIU headquarters in Washington, DC.
Let’s get this right — the union bosses deplete the members’ dues treasury to fight an initiative that would give workers choice and input into their spending decisions. Then they assess a tax on those members who have no choice so they can spend more money without member input. Sounds like a vicious cycle rectified only by passage of a Right to Work law.