As a public-school teacher who has been teaching Spanish to high school students in Marietta for 15 years now, I cannot imagine a more rewarding job.
However, in order to practice my beloved profession, I was forced to pay approximately $14,000 to the union over the course of my career. The exact amount is as indecipherable as Cretan hieroglyphics and just as shrouded in mystery. These fees were extracted from me even though I profoundly disagreed with how those funds were spent and with the “representation” my union purportedly conducted on my behalf.
That money was used on a political agenda, which even included — as I discovered in 2010 — a political campaign waged against my own husband who was then running for office. Imagine my dismay when I received political propaganda against my husband’s candidacy that was paid for and mailed by an organization related to my own union.