By COLIN KYLER and
BRIAN FERRY
During a Tuesday press conference from Harrisburg, State Rep. Kathy Rapp (R-65) gave her thoughts on teachers unions.
The conference was held by Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-12) to reintroduce legislation titled the Pennsylvania Open Workforce Initiative.
Rapp's Right to Work legislation (House Bill 51) would repeal the state's School Employee "Agency Shop" Law (Act 84).
Under that law, employees who have the option of joining a union at their place of work must pay the equivalent of union dues, but do not need to formally join the union.
According to a release from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Republican Caucus, the Right to Work legislation would "return the individual decision of whether or not to join or support a labor union to teachers and all other public education employees.
"It is unconscionable for any level of government to allow union leaders to profit or maintain their existence by leeching off the earnings of another," Rapp, the 2008 recipient of the Pennsylvanians for Right to Work Statesmen of the Year Award, stated. "Approximately 75 percent of Pennsylvania school districts operate under forced union contracts, which means that 75 percent of all public school teachers must join or pay union dues in order to keep their jobs. With nearly 85 percent of teacher strikes occurring in districts with forced union dues contracts, clearly Act 84 or Pennsylvania's Agency Shop Law has done absolutely nothing to improve labor relations in our public schools."
"When it comes to union membership, I believe teachers in Pennsylvania classrooms deserve a better deal," Rapp said. "They deserve the freedom to choose."
She said that choice would not be "between their union and their paycheck" and "not between their job and the unemployment line, but the freedom to join organizations that promote and share their values."
"They, not the union bosses, work for their paychecks," Rapp said.
She said the agency shop law represents forced unionism. She described the policy as anti-American and anti-freedom.
The president of the Warren County Education Association took exception to some of Rapp's remarks.
"Rep. Rapp's statements are referring to 'forced unionism,'" Claudia Solinko said. "We don't have forced unionism. We have 'fair share' which means those who do not join the association pay a portion of the total dues because they receive the same wages, benefits, and working conditions that were negotiated by the union leadership and passed by the members of the Association."earnings of another," Rapp, the 2008 recipient of the Pennsylvanians for Right to Work Statesmen of the Year Award, stated. "Approximately 75 percent of Pennsylvania school districts operate under forced union contracts, which means that 75 percent of all public school teachers must join or pay union dues in order to keep their jobs. With nearly 85 percent of teacher strikes occurring in districts with forced union dues contracts, clearly Act 84 or Pennsylvania's Agency Shop Law has done absolutely nothing to improve labor relations in our public schools."
"When it comes to union membership, I believe teachers in Pennsylvania classrooms deserve a better deal," Rapp said. "They deserve the freedom to choose."
She said that choice would not be "between their union and their paycheck" and "not between their job and the unemployment line, but the freedom to join organizations that promote and share their values."
"They, not the union bosses, work for their paychecks," Rapp said.
She said the agency shop law represents forced unionism. She described the policy as anti-American and anti-freedom.
The president of the Warren County Education Association took exception to some of Rapp's remarks.
"Rep. Rapp's statements are referring to 'forced unionism,'" Claudia Solinko said. "We don't have forced unionism. We have 'fair share' which means those who do not join the association pay a portion of the total dues because they receive the same wages, benefits, and working conditions that were negotiated by the union leadership and passed by the members of the Association."