◼ A common theme in much of the “Fixing California” series has been the central role of union power in preserving a Golden State status quo that helps the few and harms the many. - Chris Reed/UT San Diego & Human Events
So how can Californians loosen this union chokehold? By adopting a reform that’s both better for governance and fairer to union workers than the status quo.
The reform, known by the shorthand of “paycheck protection,” typically requires unions to have the permission of individual members before their dues are used for anything but collective bargaining.
Six states have adopted such a reform. Easily the most liberal of the six is Washington, where voters adopted this requirement as part of a popular campaign-reform push in 1992 that was opposed by unions but supported by many union members.
What followed was a relentless 15-year campaign of subterfuge and sabotage by unions and their Democratic allies in Washington’s legislature and court system. But in 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for implementation of the law following its original intent....
