An Undemocratic ‘Agency Shop’ Bill

* As members of the Legislature reconvene following the summer recess, I would like to urge careful examination of a bill that has significant negative implications for tens of thousands of public university employees in California, including many in Orange County.

SB 645 would impose an “agency shop” at the University of California and California State University.

Under this legislation, employees in a bargaining unit represented by a union would be required to either join the union and pay its dues or have a substantial “fair share” fee deducted from their paychecks.

Such an arrangement exceeds the requirements applied to state government employees, for whom “agency shop” is subject to bargaining but not mandated by state law.

The inherent unfairness in SB 645 is that it would impose an “agency shop” without an upfront vote of the affected employees.

Mandatory deduction of dues or agency fees would occur from 2000 until at least 2004, and only then would employees have an opportunity to vote on the arrangement.

The University of California values good relations with its unions, but the undemocratic proposal contained in SB 645 will, I fear, only worsen morale among many of our employees.

MEREDITH J. KHACHIGIAN

Regent, University of California

San Clemente