Sounds like a protection racket but instead of a big fist they have a pin headed lawyer and the state to enforce the will of the unions.

Should be quite the eyeopener for their former rank-and-file...

Could someone explain what and how these teacher union "contracts" work? Is it a long term contract that a teacher is forced to sign or is it an annual deal? Besides collective bargaining and legal representation, what benefits does a member get (retirement, etc) from the union if they sign? If so, do they loose all of their benefits (like retirement if that is a benefit) if they quit?

That president won´t be president very long.

Get out the popcorn. I expect counter-suits that seek the return of that portion of dues over the last several years that was spent for political activities. That portion of the dues requires the specific consent of the dues-payer.

There is nothing more demeaning for a worker than to be forced to give union thugs a percentage of their pay. I hated unions and wanted no part of them. I worked in a "union shop" in Washington state for a few months, and said categorically, "I do not want to join your union!" It made no difference. First they asked nicely. The union rep came by and shoved a membership form at me- "Sign" he said - I shoved it back, "Not a chance in Heaven." I said. then came the threats, then the scary meeting by three weirdos, saying they represented the union, in the parking lot after work- they were very pushy and the implication was, "We can get to you or your car anytime- better join up, pal!" Next day, I gave the boss my notice. He liked me and even offered that the company would pay my extortionist "Initiation fee" and membership dues. I refused- I hated the very idea that I was going to have to pay some organization I hated in order to earn a living- I moved to a right-to-work state and never lived in a forced-to-join-a-union state again! A bitter lesson.

Hey, Union Boss, take that and stuff it!

By the way, we all want back all the prior union dues you stole from us!

I once belonged to the teacher´s union, only because if I didn´t join I had to pay an "agency fee," which amounted to a few dollars more than the regular dues. The only benefit was legal representation if needed. (I never needed it.) As far as benefits go - NONE! Didn´t help retirement or pension. The state asso. did offer counsel on retirement, but I did everything on my own. But we had to pay local, state and NEA dues. For what? Nothing. The only thing unions do is blackmail you into joining or paying anyway. Useless POS´s.

Looks like a large number of people have opted out of paying the union. Now, they need to form a class action against the union to have their names removed from the membership list. Maybe, they can recover misused dues paid in over the years, too.

They still haven´t found Jimmy Hoffa.