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The Washington Federation of State Employees negotiated with the State of Washington to include language in the new General Government Master Contract requiring employees in bargaining units to pay either union dues or a "representation fee" to the union to support bargaining and representation "services". Almost 40,000 Washington State Employees are affected by this union security clause, which went into effect on July 1, 2005. Most of these employees had NO VOICE in the matter. Instead, they were told to pay to the union either dues or fees, or be TERMINATED [just from state employment we hope].
FreeConscience.org is a grass-roots organization of state employees volunteering their time, some of who were, are still, or under duress have become WFSE members who agree that the union has denied state employees due process. Instead, the union is demanding UNFAIR SHARE representation fees, and has denied state employees an opportunity to make an INFORMED CHOICE on the contract, considering that all the contract really does is provide the union with security! How many state employees read the contract before it was ratified? How many employees knew they could vote? Truth be told, only a very small percentage…
And so we are here today...
Many state employees are strongly opposed to what the union and their State have done and are doing. Some object based on religious beliefs; others based on freedom of choice. Whatever the reason, we fight against what we believe is, fundamentally, WRONG.
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