Biting the hand that fed her

My wife was a teacher and belonged to the National Education Association. I belonged to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Because of our memberships in those unions, we are now enjoying a very comfortable retirement. When we were working, we enjoyed very decent wages and health benefits. These were brought to us through negotiations from our union representatives.

When I Googled Northwest Professional Educators, which letter writer Cindy Omlin referenced, I saw nothing on their website that referenced negotiating salaries or benefits. I also discovered that Omlin is the executive director of the Spokane NWPE.

When I looked at the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation Inc. website, I was informed that “You cannot be required to be a union member in any state. If you are not a member, you are still fully covered by the collective bargaining agreement that was negotiated between your employer and the union, and the union is obligated to represent you. Any benefits that are provided to you by your employer pursuant to the collective bargaining agreement (e.g., wages, seniority, vacations, pensions, health insurance) are not affected by your membership.”

I think that Omlin is biting the hand that fed her while working for Spokane Public Schools.

Robert Sleeth

Spokane