It would appear to be a matter of common sense that if you joined an organization, and paid dues, you would have the right to know how your dues were getting spent. Right?
Well, the State affiliates of the National Education Association (NEA) don’t seem to think so. They filed a lawsuit against the Department of Labor’s regulations requiring those affiliates to meet with the same reporting requirements as the NEA.
As reported by the Evergreen Foundation:
“A ruling from a U.S. District Court judge could have significant implications for Washington state unions. Under the federal Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA), unions that represent private-sector employees must file detailed financial reports with the Department of Labor. The reports must include details about income, expenditures, itemized expenses, officer and employee salaries, and more. These disclosure reports were expanded and modernized under the Bush Administration and union members can now search their union’s financial records.
“Unfortunately, one of the major loopholes of this law exempts unions that represent only government workers. To correct this, the Department of Labor also re-interpreted the LMRDA to apply to previously-exempt state affiliates. In other words, if the National Education Association is required to file a financial report, the Washington Education Association would automatically be obligated to do the same.”
Because of the ruling by the District of Columbia U.S. District Court, the Department of Labor’s regulations have been upheld, which is good news for members of the Washington Education Association – and for concerned citizens nationwide.
Unions spend an inordinate, exorbitant amount of money campaigning for the election of Big Government advocates to office at all levels. Those advocates, in turn, vote in favor of ever-higher funding for the government-controlled education establishment – much of which the union bosses then use to elect even more Big Government advocates. It’s a vicious cycle, made all the more insidious by the fact that the government schools have given abject failure a passing grade.
Once their organization complies with the regulations, fee-paying union members – as well as Americans of all walks of life – will be able to log on to the internet and see every union’s financial statements. Then, maybe, the books will be re-balanced on behalf of neglected students and basic education – rather than union bosses and bought politicians.
ALG Prediction: Don’t expect the Washington Education Association or any of the State affiliates of the NEA to comply with these regulations any time soon. Next stop: the D.C. Court of Appeals.
