Finally A Court Goes Against Union Theft of Tax Dollars

Facebook Twitter Flipboard The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that union can no longer steal tax dollars with “release time.” And it’s about time this practice is eliminated in every state, not just Arizona. In case you don’t k now what “release time” is, it is a long-standing practice where unions get a contract concession […]

By Warner Todd Huston

August 6, 2024 at 8:36 pm

The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that union can no longer steal tax dollars with "release time." And it's about time this practice is eliminated in every state, not just Arizona.

In case you don't k now what "release time" is, it is a long-standing practice where unions get a contract concession where government offices continue to pay a government worker his hourly wage even though that worker is doing tasks, events, and work for the union itself, and not the government agency he is supposed to be working for.

Put another way, it is a practice where tax payers pay a government employee to work for the union, not the people of the state/county/city.

This happens all across the country and has been going on for decades. It is 100 percent theft by unions, too. Why should we, the taxpayers, be paying someone to do work for a union and NOT for the people?

Well, the Supreme Court of Arizona finally agrees; "release time" is unconstitutional.

Per Just the News:

In Gilmore v. Gallego determined that "release time" as part of a Memorandum of Understanding between the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees and the city is an incorrect use of taxpayer dollars.

"The MOU’s release time provisions cost the City approximately $499,000 per year," the court's unanimous opinion stated. Four employees that were paid full-time by the city were "paid release positions for Union members, including the Union President."

"As a standalone contract between the Union and the City, the release time provisions here would plainly violate the Gift Clause for lack of consideration; including them as part of a larger contract does not insulate them from review," the court added.

The conservative Goldwater Institute said the ruling was a step in the right direction.

"Today’s ruling is a watershed decision that ensures taxpayer dollars will be spent to advance public interests, not private special interests, including the politically powerful special interests of government labor unions. And that will have nationwide ramifications, too," the institute said in a news release.

This is just another small example of how unionism is inherently un-American. It is also undemocratic.

But this intolerable situation has been going on for decades because the voters are entirely blocked from affecting government unionism.

The unions give money to the politicians who OK the bloated contracts full of grift and then return tax money to the unions for the support the unions gave to them for their campaigns. But where are the voters? Never consulted and never in a position to stop the grift.

There should never, ever be any such thing as a government union. Not for any employee. You want to be in a union? Work in the private sector.

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