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 theminform 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 Jeffersons admonition is heeded.