Fairness at heart of Prop. 75

By: JIM TRAGESER - Staff Writer | Wednesday, October 12, 2005 11:21 PM PDT ∞

In local rallies and letters to the editor, the union message against Proposition 75 is that this is an attempt to "stifle" union voices. To silence dissent. To gut the Democratic Party itself.

"Don't Silence Me" read the signs carried by union activists whenever the governor makes a local appearance, as Prop. 75 is his baby.

But the real censorship is already being applied by the unions against a significant number of their own members.

Under the current system, any union member who disagrees with the majority's political views is pretty much out of luck, still forced to subsidize campaigns advancing those views.

To take someone's money and then spend it on a message they vehemently disagree with is about as illiberal a position as one could imagine ---- particularly in a closed-shop state like California where you have no choice about union membership.

The union leadership compares its political lobbying to that of chambers of commerce and other organizations that reflect business management's political interests. But business organizations are voluntary ---- any business owner or executive who disagrees with the chamber is free to leave, along with their dues. There is no coercion involved in that relationship.

But if you work in a union shop in California, you must join the union in order to keep your job ---- even if you're philosophically opposed to unions. And you must pay your dues to keep your membership (and your employment) active.

And, as this is written, the union leadership can use those dues any way it wants ---- which, in matters politic, tends to be 100 percent in line with the Democratic Party.

So for the 20 percent or more (depending on whom you listen to) of union households that vote Republican, they're stuck in a system in which they are forced to contribute to a platform that violates their consciences.

Who's really being silenced here?

Surely not the union leaders, nor the majority that supports their platform.

All Prop. 75 would do is introduce a minor inconvenience to the vast money-gathering machine that is the modern union movement: a simple form for each member to fill out once a year allowing the union to use members' dues to promote any viewpoint it wishes.

We're often told by liberals that majority rule isn't everything, that on some issues ---- gay marriage, for instance, or the cross atop Mount Soledad ---- it's more important to take into account everyone's viewpoint, not just that of the majority.

So if tyranny of the majority is bad on issues like the above, why is it OK in a union? Why the vehement opposition to what is at heart an issue of basic fairness?

Prop. 75 is a common-sense measure to protect the rights of union members who disagree with the majority viewpoint. To oppose allowing union members to control how their money is spent is to support silencing those brave enough to stand against the crowd.

Contact staff writer Jim Trageser at (760) 740-5424 or jtrageser@nctimes.com.

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