Unions Can Be Coercive
I'm writing in response to Ronald Rene Patenaude's letter of 25 June 2009 entitled "Nonprofits Bust Unions Too." I'm writing because there are two sides to every coin, and I represent the other side of the argument.
When I was a graduate student at UMass in the 1990s, the United Auto Workers tried to force me to become a union member. I didn't want to, and I also refused to pay the "agency fee," my argument being that this fee was unfair because it was based on a percentage of my income rather than a set fee (i.e., those that needed the union the least paid the most). The UAW attempted to stop my paychecks, and would have forced me to capitulate had I not found the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation (http://www.nrtw.org), which provided free legal assistance and stopped the union from forcing me to pay them.
I have nothing against unions, but I choose not to belong to one. Why should I be forced to join a union or give them my money if I choose not to? I got two graduate degrees and never paid the UAW a dime, because I had the sense to fight them. There are many people that feel the way I do, and organizations like NRTW are as important as the unions in keeping things balanced. And if anyone is of the opinion that only the anti-union side is coercive, I'll keep track of the hate mail that this letter will generate so that they might change their minds.
Sean F. Werle, Ph.D.
via e-mail
Good on Palin
I want to commend Gov. [Sarah] Palin and her fellow Alaskans for passing the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act (AGIA), which set the stage for Trans Canada and ExxonMobil to enter into an agreement for the construction of a natural gas pipeline.
The pipeline will carry natural gas from Alaska's North Slope through Alaska and Canada and down to the lower 48 states. Eventually it will supply 8 percent of the U.S.'s annual natural gas requirements.
This clean energy project will create thousands of jobs and large revenues for Alaska, will help the U.S. continue to decrease its dependence on foreign oil, and will make a positive impact on the environment.
Government officials in the lower 48 states should emulate the Alaskan example and pursue increased domestic energy production, including the development of offshore oil reserves.
Congratulations, Gov. Palin, for your hard work and perseverance to get the job done.
Donald A. Moskowitz
Londonderry, N.H.
