Slow learners: Union financial capers. (Citings).IN DECEMBER A Washington state Superior Court judge schooled the Washington Education Association (WEA WEA Weather WEA World Evangelical Alliance WEA Washington Education Association WEA Wilderness Education Association WEA Workers' Education Association WEA WebSphere Everyplace Access (IBM) WEA Wisconsin Education Association ), the state's largest teachers union, on the nuances of labor law labor law, legislation dealing with human beings in their capacity as workers or wage earners. The Industrial Revolution, by introducing the machine and factory production, greatly expanded the class of workers dependent on wages as their source of income. , handing it a $770,000 bill for the lesson. The union, a potent force in Evergreen State politics, had been paying for political escapades with money collected from "agency fee payers." Agency fee payers are individuals who choose not to join the union. They don't have voting rights Voting rights The right to vote on matters that are put to a vote of security holders. For example the right to vote for directors. voting rights The type of voting and the amount of control held by the owners of a class of stock. but are still forced to pay for the portion of union activity spent on contract negotiation and enforcement. From 1996 to 2000, the WEA charged 8,000 dissidents 100 percent of dues and then proceeded to spend some of the money on politics. "WEA intentionally chose not to comply with the law," ruled judge Gary R. Tabor, who fined the union $400,000 and ordered it to hand the state $190,375 for attorney fees. It also had to refund $180,000 to the teachers who didn't want their money spent on politics. Tabor's decision marks the second time in three years the WEA has been fined for playing politics with ill-gotten money. In 1998 the union was fined $430,000 for illegal activity in its campaign against charter schools and voucher initiatives two years earlier. "It shows the unions care more about political power than the rights of their members," says Evergreen Freedom Foundation The Evergreen Freedom Foundation is a private, non-profit public policy think tank, based in Olympia, Washington, founded by Bob Williams, a former state legislator. EFF's mission is to advance individual liberty, free enterprise, and responsible government. President Bob Williams This article is about the rugby player. For the college basketball coach, see Bob Williams (basketball coach). For the baseball player, see . Bob Williams was an Australian rugby league player for the Eastern Suburbs club. , who has been dogging the union for years. "They need remedial learning." |
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