Victory in AZ!

The effort to defend and restore worker’s rights is often won incrementally in state legislatures and courthouses across America. The National Right to Work Committee and its sister organization, the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, fight to protect workers from the injustice of forced unionism wherever and whenever workers need protection. Workers in Phoenix, Arizona won’t be coerced to pay union dues, thanks in part to the effort of the National Right to Work Foundation.

Determined to undermine AZ’s Right to Work statue, local 2384 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the AFL-CIO argued that the city should deduct a percentage of dues, perhaps up to 80%, from the paychecks of non-union members “since the union was working for all the employees in the “bargaining unit,” regardless of membership. The city of Phoenix, to its credit, refused to insert this outrageous demand into its contract with the union.

The matter ended up in court where a judge ruled in the city’s favor. Refusing to take “no” for an answer, the local Bosses appealed the decision, and the State Court of Appeals concluded just last week that the proposals were “impermissible under Arizona’s constitution and right to work statues.”

Judge Lawrence Winthrop, writing for the unanimous three-judge panel, said the concept, known as so-called “fair share,” better called forced fees, would violate the constitution. He said the “clear intent” of voters in approving the Right to Work amendment “was to ensure the freedom of workers to choose whether to join and participate in a union.”

“Allowing the proposed ‘fair share’ fee would be contrary to the intent voiced by Arizona citizens because it would essentially render meaningless the distinction between union membership and non-membership,” Winthrop explained. “Nonmembers would be forced to contribute to, and thus support, the union.”

Union officials crying over the loss could fix the problem in a “New York Minute” – by only representing those workers who voluntarily ask for help. When presented with this option, it is the union elite who slam the table and threaten political death to politicians who might help. They know the secret to their monopoly power is very simple: force workers under their monopoly control and then complain about the burden and ask for relief (forced payment of union dues or fees as a condition of employment).

Not this time and not in Arizona.

Chalk one up for the good guys.