Friedrichs v. CTA: Suing for the Right to Freeload
Iwonder if Harlan Elrich, one of the plaintiffs in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, was the kind of kid who took his bat and ball and went home if he didn’t get his way on the sandlot.
He evidently doesn’t believe in the democratic process or in majority rule.
Elrich and nine other teachers are suing the CTA to get out of paying the union their fair share to represent them. The Supreme Court heard arguments in the suit Monday.
A victory for Elrich and his co-plaintiffs could end up putting every public sector union in the country under “right to work,” meaning workers would be able to enjoy union-won wages, work hours and benefits without paying a dime to support the union. That’s called freeloading.
Federal labor law requires that in a workplace with a union, the union has to represent everybody who is not a supervisory or management employee. Unions say workers who don’t want to join the union should at least compensate the union for representing them in the collective bargaining process.
In any event, Elrich blasted the CPA in a Wall Street Journal op-ed piece. He disagrees with many things the union bargains for. “That the union would presume to push, allegedly on my behalf, for higher salaries at the expense of smaller class sizes and avoiding teacher layoffs is preposterous,” he wrote.
Most teachers obviously disagree with Elrich. What the CTA seeks at the bargaining table isFriedrichs v. CTA: Suing for the Right to Freeload - LA Progressive:
