Michigan Teachers Finding it Hard to Leave Union

You should read this disturbing Watchdog.org story about unsavory tactics employed by the Michigan Education Association to prevent their members from leaving the ranks of the union now that Michigan is a right-to-work state.

Bottom line - the union will only allow members to provide notice of their desire to opt-out during the month of August. Teachers can choose to leave during any other month at a price - the union will sick a collection agency on them and ruin their credit rating: 

“People who thought they could exercise their right-to-work rights have unfortunately gotten a rude awakening that (the MEA is) now sending collection notices home,” said Vincent Vernuccio, director of labor policy for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. “If they have not opted out during the narrow window during August, they’re sending a collection agency after them.”

And the union was in no hurry to inform it's members about the limited annual opt-out window:

“Early September, we got an e-bill statement from the union treasurer, the dues statement for the year,” Jelenek said. “We said, ‘What? We’re not joining.’ We found it very convenient that we got it right at the beginning of September, when all the powers that be knew we had to do something in August.”

Some members want to leave the MEA to seek continued representation elsewhere. Here's an example of one teacher who made this choice:

Other than that, not a lot has changed, he said. He has since joined the Association of American Educators, through which he receives better benefits at a fifth to a sixth of the cost, he said. 

“If MEA were to offer better than AAE, for a lower price, I’d probably jump back with them,” he said. “I teach economics. It’s really dollars and cents.”

Everyone should have a basic right to freely associated (or dissociate) with any organization they choose. I get the "fair share" arguments advanced by unions, but people shouldn't be compelled (or in this case bamboozled) into an affiliation that they don't want. 

I can support the notion that an employee can choose to accept certain benefits (wage increases, health care) negotiated by a union and be required to retain membership. They should also be provided with a right to opt-out of both to seek representation elsewhere or negotiate on their own behalf.