Will North Carolina teachers take back their rights?
Submitted by James on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 10:08am
Tea Party Republicans and two cowardly Democrats last night violated the constitution and their oaths of office by illegally overriding Governor Perdue's veto, thereby placing additional burdens on teachers who are members of the NCAE, and discriminating against the organization itself.
Just after 1 a.m. today, in a secreted session critics called unconstitutional, Republican legislative leaders passed a bill aimed at weakening the state's largest teachers association. Two Democrats -- state Reps. William Brisson and Jim Crawford -- broke party ranks to join Republicans in a 69 to 45 vote to override Perdue's veto of the measure, Senate Bill 727. The 1:12 a.m. vote means teachers who belong to the N.C. Association of Educators can no longer have their NCAE dues deducted automatically from their paychecks.
What do responsible citizens do in the face of illegal actions by elected officials? Since we don't have the ability to recall the scumbags, the only alternative I see is civil disobedience.
Teachers should give North Carolina a civics lesson. A statewide strike is in order.
Updated by James to expunge the inappropriate use of "union" in the original post.
Strikes are illegal
Then again, so is the action by the General Assembly.
Note to teachers: Better start packing heat. This could get ugly.
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.
Question about this bill
I know nothing about unions/membership groups in this state and the powers to draft directly from a paycheck.
Is any other union/group allowed to directly take money out of state employees paychecks? What I am getting at is does this bill:
a) remove a special power that only the NCAE had?
-or-
b) single out the NCAE and prohibit them from using a power that many other groups have?
Great questions
My wife is a university (state) employee and has IRA contributions deducted directly from her paycheck. I think she also has charitable contributions to UNC itself deducted.
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.
It singles out NCAE only - not other groups
Which is why the bill itself (as the Governor's veto message notes) AND the way it was passed are both unconstitutional.
Read the bill, plenty of others -- including James' example -- can take money directly out.
And when the state gets sued, which it will
I'm sure Roy Cooper will jump on the case to defend the indefensible.
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.
not only that, but...
... I am sure the state will have to shell out hundreds of thousands of dola\lars in legal fees to once again defend a far right piece of legislation that lawmakers KNEW would be challenged in court from the start.
These people are using taxpayer money to grandstand for their base!
Katy Munger,
Progress North Carolina
www.progressnc.org
Lead, follow or get out of the way....
Thanks!
In that case, shame on the Republicans. If you object to the ability to have various groups deduct from state employees payroll, then remove it for everyone. To be honest, I wouldn't mind seeing it go away and save the state some on administrative costs, but to single out the NCAE is wrong.
Multiple deductions
Here is the statute that allows various employee deductions: 143B‑426.40A. Assignments of claims against State. (As of writing it had not been changed to reflect the bill language).
Though not listed there are also allowable deductions for health insurance (medical and flex), parking fees, deferred compensation plans. Through the State Employees Combined Campaign deductions can be made for politically active organizations as varied as the NC Family Policy Council and the ACLU.
In theory the NCAE could do an end run around the bill with proxy payments through allowable deductions to the State Employees Credit Union but. Not every educator has a SECU account but it might be viable.
Gary Pearce
sees the legislature's illegal action as a win for Perdue and an asset that with big potential for her campaign. He's right.
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.
Hold on a big fat second here ...
NCAE is NOT a union. It is a professional organization that supports teachers and education. NCAE does not strike nor represent teachers in labor disputes.
That said, this cowardly act by the republicans in our GA is another slap in the face of North Carolina's teaching professionals. The disrespect these republican neanderthals show for teachers is just astounding. A good life starts with a good education, and teachers are the ones who make that happen.
Environmental Defense Fund
Cell phones will be to the 21st century what tobacco was to the 20th.
NCAE
Thanks for being clear that the NCAE is not a union. So I guess teacher's are just screwed and have to swallow this malarkey without recourse?
Maybe instead of a strike, you could all call in sick for a month or so.
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.
A teacher version of the Blue Flu??
Fun to think about to be sure, even for a day!! All those student suddenly without teachers, chaos in schools, principals & parents frantic and, hopefully, jamming the GA phone lines and inboxes with complaints.
Unfortunately it will not happen. If it did, teachers would be made out to be the villains so instead of throwing the bums out of Raleigh, teachers would be thrown under the bus, a-gain.
If retribution comes, it will not be until election day 2012. Hopefully that will be Judgement Day for Tillis et al. (cue Terminator music)
Environmental Defense Fund
Cell phones will be to the 21st century what tobacco was to the 20th.
Teachers have taken hits
Teachers have taken hits right and left from the NCGOP and everyone knows it. You have swallowed their horseshit with patience and dignity. Along the way, the GOP has learned that you will not push back.
I believe this particular piece of Republican over-reaching could be a tipping point ... and a 24-hour case of Blue Flu on the part of thousands of teachers is exactly what's needed for a show of strength.
The GOP has forced the layoffs of teachers all across the state. And now they will be spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars defending their illegal actions.
Educated minds typically
do not buy GOP propaganda. Thus the war on teachers. An additional side bonus to ruining public education is that they can funnel our tax dollars in to for profit private schools. Republicans have no problem with tax and spend as long as it ends up in their pockets.
Wake NCAE post on Facebook
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.