What Is Paycheck Deception and Why Should Working People Care?

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2006/09/29/what-is-paycheck-deception-and-why-should-working-people-care/

What Is Paycheck Deception and Why Should Working People Care?

by Tula Connell, Sep 29, 2006

So many issues that significantly impact the lives of working families are so difficult to explain.

Paycheck deception is one of them.

We noted this week the Supreme Court will consider the constitutionality of anti-union “paycheck deception” measures aimed at silencing workers’ voice in politics—one of nine cases the court recently added to its docket from among the nearly 2,000 submitted for review.

Most paycheck deception initiatives take away the right of union members to use payroll deductions for political purposes, which is one of the best ways for union members to pool resources—bit by bit, through our unions. The funds are used to counter the big money contributors who relentlessly write fat checks for corporate-backed candidates. In the 2004 election cycle, corporations outspent unions by a ratio of 23­­­–to–1.

Nathan Newman provides some legal background:

Back in 1986, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that employees benefiting from a union contract had a right to request and receive a refund of the portion of “agency fees” paid to the union that went to political activities.

But a Washington State ballot initiative passed in 1992 went further, requiring active consent from nonunion members before unions can spend any part of their fees on political activity. The law was declared unconstitutional by the Washington Supreme Court in March. The court found the affirmative consent requirement imposed an “extremely costly” and “significant” burden on a union’s political activities and declared it unconstitutional.

Whether union or nonunion members are allowed to easily contribute to union funds is not an arcane issue. Paycheck deception initiatives put a chokehold on working families’ participation in the political process and further tilt the balance of power in favor of wealthy corporate interest groups.

FULL story at link above.

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[AmandaRuth]

2. hey,

no need to live in a cardboard box - There are plenty of low paying non-union jobs you can take at walmart, petsmart, home depot ect.

Tell you what, I will take the high paying union job, and you can live off of $18,000 a year. Cool?