Libertarian Workers Unite!

You know what’s the worst thing about receiving a paycheck? Checking out the line-by-line deductions. What I could do with that money! Actually, I know what I’ll do with the part that I expect to be returned to me next April. But a bit of it I can guarantee will never come back. It’s that 1% stolen by the teaching assistants’ union each month.

Out here in sunny California, the TA union has the legal right to charge nonmembers “their fair share” for services rendered. Never mind that I never voted to allow them this “right.” Never mind that I never asked them to represent me in their collective bargaining efforts. I still have to dish out almost 1 cent for every dollar I earn! And, speaking as a “starving college student,” I need every penny I can get!

Now, I’ve about had it with the union and its marketing team. Those annoying people tout the virtues of their parasite organization but have no response when faced with opposition. One rep couldn’t understand why I couldn’t see that it was “democracy in action” for my paycheck to be raided every month. “Democratic”? What ever happened to freedom? Why should I accept the $20-per-hour rate “agreed” upon when I end up making less since no one seems to care that professors work their TAs over the time limit? I’m tired of the abuse from hypocritical professors who brag about complying with union regulations at the beginning of the school term but somehow forget about them when there’s a time crunch all though finals week.

My solution? Well, it doesn’t look like the TA union can be eliminated very easily. Too many people think that they have to depend on it. So, what’s the next-best-thing? Eliminated the union monopoly! That’s right! All that’s needed is some libertarian students who know something about collective bargaining laws to organize some laissez-faire competition for our “democratic” organization. Platform? Lower pay rate. Enforced work hour limits or overtime pay. Of course, no rep, no fee. No fee, no rep. Any takers?