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Michigan union tell-all

“Members who indicate they wish to resign membership in March, or whenever, will be told they can only do so in August,” Mr. Cook writes in the three-page memo obtained by the West Michigan Policy Forum. “We will use any legal means at our disposal to collect the dues owed under signed membership forms from any members who withhold dues prior to terminating their membership in August for the following fiscal year.” Got that, comrade? …

Unions may have learned from last year’s meltdown in Wisconsin over Governor Scott Walker’s reforms. While Big Labor waged an unrelenting campaign to overturn the law in court and to recall Mr. Walker and Wisconsin legislators, there has been little serious discussion of a similar effort against Governor Rick Snyder in Michigan. “If the goal is to undo RTW, this is the least appealing of the options,” Mr. Cook writes of potential recalls.

The pattern in new right-to-work states is that union membership plunges when it is voluntary. That’s what happened in Wisconsin and Indiana, and it will probably happen in Michigan too.

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The Cook memo is damning proof that the main goal of union leaders is to enhance the power of union leaders, not of workers.

Shocker!!

CTSherman on February 5, 2013 at 2:24 PM

Unions = the Mob.

albill on February 5, 2013 at 2:26 PM

And they wonder why we refer to them as GOONS!

D-fusit on February 5, 2013 at 2:35 PM

Yet the most revealing news in the Cook memo is how little the union discusses assisting workers so more will voluntarily join unions.

Well, they’ve never had to offer value in exchange for membership. Their entire organizational structure is based on forcing people to associate with them. The unions don’t know how to sell anything without a contract in one hand and a baseball bat in the other.

RadClown on February 5, 2013 at 2:47 PM

“We will use any legal means at our disposal to collect the dues owed under signed membership forms from any members who withhold dues prior to terminating their membership in August for the following fiscal year.”

That’s winnin’ them over with kindness!! :)

HondaV65 on February 5, 2013 at 2:50 PM

Unions = Thug, Inc. or Thugs-R-Us.

BuckeyeSam on February 5, 2013 at 2:52 PM

“We will use any legal means at our disposal to collect the dues owed under signed membership forms from any members who withhold dues prior to terminating their membership in August for the following fiscal year.”

That’s winnin’ them over with kindness!!

HondaV65 on February 5, 2013 at 2:50 PM

Yup.
Makes one want to join up with that team for sure.

It must take several generations of union memebership to talk to your members like that. Experience does not always count.

Jabberwock on February 5, 2013 at 3:01 PM

Rainsford won’t like this on bit.

tom daschle concerned on February 5, 2013 at 3:09 PM

Detroit will burn to the ground sooner than unions will accept RTW legislation.

nobar on February 5, 2013 at 4:16 PM

I am very familiar with the local union and know the officers as friends from apprenticeship days. Some from high school. I simply can’t imagine any of them saying anything like that.

CW20 on February 5, 2013 at 4:18 PM