The great majority of union members are not aware of their Beck rights to
receive a refund of dues money spent on political and other causes to which they may
object. Workers who wish to exercise Beck rights may inform their union and ask for
the appropriate refund.
Labor unions which do not cooperate with Beck requests may in the long run
damage union credibility with members and the public, and may invite interference from the
legislature, courts, or NLRB.
Governor Engler, through the issuance of a Beck-type gubernatorial Executive
Order can accomplish for Michigan workers what their unions, employers, and lawmakers have
not done for them—inform them of their political rights by mandating the posting of
appropriate notices in their workplaces. This will enable Michigan workers to get the
legal facts and to protect their jobs, income, and union dues from political exploitation.
"To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propaganda of opinions
which he disbelieves," wrote Thomas Jefferson in 1779, "is sinful and
tyrannical." Michigan can and should be the place where Jefferson’s admonition
is heeded.
