(The below is from a burst e-mail to y.t. regarding the Evergreen Freedom Foundation-led conflict against the Washington Education Association.)

Dear EFF Members:

We need your help!

Lawmakers in Olympia have introduced two bills, HB 2079 and SB 5921, that are nothing more than an end-run around our U.S. Supreme Court case.

Current state law requires unions to ask permission from non-member workers before spending their agency fees on politics (non-members must pay agency fees to keep their jobs). HB 2079 and SB 5921, if passed, would effectively relieve unions of this requirement.

The Washington Education Association drafted the legislation that would allow it, and other unions, to spend non-member fees on politics. The legislation uses an accounting gimmick to get around the requirement to ask permission. While the union claims it is trying to “clarify” the law, the legislation is really an attempt to mitigate a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court, which is reviewing the constitutionality of the law.

Both bills have been scheduled for committee hearings.

HB 2079 – Hearing on Tuesday, February 20, 2007 at 6:00 p.m.
House State Government and Tribal Affairs Committee

SB 5921 – Hearing on Thursday, February 22, at 3:30 p.m.
Senate Government Operations and Elections Committee

Please call your legislators and the committee members IMMEDIATELY, urging them to vote “no” on these bills! Legislative Contact Information You can call the Legislature’s toll-free message center at 1-800-562-6000 or contact committee members directly with the information listed below. House State Government & Tribal Affairs Committee Members:

• Rep. Sam Hunt, (360) 786-7992
• Rep. Sherry Appleton, (360) 786-7934
• Rep. Bruce Chandler, (360) 786-7960
• Rep. Mike Armstrong, (360) 786-7832
• Rep. Tami Green, (360) 786-7958
• Rep. Joel Kretz, (360) 786-7958
• Rep. Joe McDermott, (360) 786-7952
• Rep. Mark Miloscia, (360) 786-7898
• Rep. Timm Ormsby, (360) 786-7946

Senate Government Operations & Elections Committee Members:

• Sen. Darlene Fairley, (360) 786-7662
• Sen. Eric Oemig, (360) 786-7672
• Sen. Pam Roach, (360) 786-7660
• Sen. Don Benton, (360) 786-7632
• Sen. Adam Kline, (360) 786-7688
• Sen. Craig Pridemore, (360) 786-7696
• Sen. Dan Swecker, (360) 786-7638

Concerns with the Legislation

• The bills are premature. The constitutionality of the law is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, and should alone be left until we have a definitive ruling from the Court.
• This is nothing more than an attempt to circumvent a pending U.S. Supreme Court ruling against the Washington Education Association. Questions from the Supreme Court Justices indicated they are inclined to uphold RCW 42.17.760 as constitutional.
• The bills are unnecessary. The law is very clear and does not require legislative tinkering. Unions must get permission before spending non-member dues on politics. How difficult is that?
• Unions have the ability to spend their members’ dues on political activity, but should not force non-members to involuntarily support their political agenda.
• The Washington Education Association actually drafted this legislation! The union claims this will help it comply with the law. The scofflaw WEA has been fined with some of the largest campaign finance violations in state history. Why should we rely on the union to define compliance?
• While the legislature cannot “overturn” the Supreme Court, these bills, for all practical purposes, would effectively eliminate the requirement on unions to get permission before spending dues on politics. The bills amend the law to create a presumption that, when the union co-mingles agency fees in its general fund and then makes political contributions from its the general fund, it spends agency fees last. This will essentially relieve the union of the obligation to get permission.
• The bills both include an “emergency clause,” which allows the legislation to go into effect immediately, and denies the people their constitutional right of referendum. Preserving a union’s coerced political funding is not a state emergency.

Additional Information

EFF February 6 press release

 http://www.effwa.org/main/article.php?article_id=1882&number=265

EFF Podcast: Is a Union Bailout a State Emergency?

http://www.effwa.org/main/article.php?article_id=1883&number=265

EFF Podcast: He’ll Guard the Henhouse?

http://www.effwa.org/main/article.php?article_id=1890&number=395

“Teachers union pushes political spending bill,” Seattle Times http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2003561563_webunion07.html

Please contact the committee members BEFORE the hearing and urge them not to pass the bills out of committee.

Thank you for your efforts!

Sincerely, Michael Reitz

Director, Labor Policy Center

Evergreen Freedom Foundation (360) 956-3482

"…because freedom matters!"