Wait, shouldn't my union dues cover that?
You would think that with the millions and millions of dollars in dues that the public-sector unions extract from their members, they should easily be able to fund a referendum campaign to defeat Senate Bill 5. Right?
Betting on an expensive referendum drive, opponents of Senate Bill 5 are turning to rank-and-file union members to help cover campaign costs predicted to reach $20 million.
At least three statewide labor organizations – the Ohio Education Association, the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police and the Ohio Association of Professional Fire Fighters – are considering charging members extra fees to fund a ballot effort to repeal a GOP-backed bill signed by Gov. John Kasich last week that would limit collective-bargaining rights for state- and local-government employees.
In an email dated March 22 and obtained by The Dispatch, Ohio Education Association executive director Larry Wicks said teachers and other unionized school personnel might be charged a one-time assessment of $50 to generate more than $5 million to fight Senate Bill 5.
Wait a minute. Why do they need to charge their member extra fees? This NEA boss himself boasted about how much power they have because of all of the glorious dues they collect.
Hundreds of millions of dollars. Where did all that money go, that they need to suck more mandatory money from their members?
Oh wait. Now I remember. j.hart explained part of it quite well. Being a union boss is hard, so you need to pay them really, really well.
Joseph Rugola, OAPSE Executive Director: $216,939
Gary Martin, OAPSE Associate Director: $200,163
Charles Roginski, OAPSE Regional Director: $164,239
John Lyall, AFSCME Council 8 President: $155,482
Andy Douglas, OCSEA Executive Director: $151,392
Harold Mitchell, AFSCME Council 8 First Vice President: $148,265
Tom Drabick, OAPSE Director of Legal Department: $144,517
Lloyd Rains, OAPSE Regional Director: $140,238
R. Sean Grayson, AFSCME Council 8 General Counsel: $130,891
Steve Myers, OAPSE Regional Director: $128,741
Also, remember this? Union bosses can't be expected to provide their own transportation like almost everyone else, including their members, do. They work hard laundering the taxpayers money for Democrats campaign war chests, and need super luxorious motorcoaches to carry them around. Why look, they're roughing it again this week at the Westin Columbus.
I wonder how union members feel about being asked to pony up more money to the unions to do what they were supposedly doing with their standard dues.
In an email to Kasich, OEA member Connie Ash complained about the union deducting money from her check to fight Senate Bill 5.
"I am a fiscal conservative and belong to the tea party," Ash wrote. "I am appalled that the OEA feels they can commandeer funds from my paycheck without my approval."
Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols said the OEA's possible $50 member assessment was a "perfect example of what's wrong with this broken system."
If I was forced to be part of a union, I would be wondering why they want to charge me more money, as well.
But that's just me.
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