After logging 2,000 hours flying F-4 Phantoms and serving in five overseas deployments, retired USMC Maj. Stephen Godin decided to take on an equally demanding challenge–teaching public high school. For the past fourteen years, Maj. Godin has been teaching in the distinguished JROTC program at North High School in Worcester, Massachusetts. The principal of North High praises Maj. Godin as an "excellent" instructor. Maj. Godin also coaches the regional champion drill team and he's never missed a day of work.

Today, however, he is fighting the union to keep his job.

Even though Maj. Godin receives his benefits and half his salary from the United States Navy, and his JROTC instructor contract explicitly states that he is excluded from the "teacher salary schedule," the Education Association of Worcester insists he pay his $500 union "agency fee" dues or be fired. The Worcester School District has acquiesced and has given Maj. Godin until tomorrow to comply.

(For more resources on teacher rights, visit AAE's Your Rights and Forced Unionism webpage)

State Senator and Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor, Richard R. Tisei, introduced legislation to exempt Maj. Godin from any requirement to join or pay a union as a condition of his employment, but the measure was defeated handily along party lines.

The union president Cheryl DelSignore, who has refused to talk to the press as of last week, released a statement saying she would look into the issue now that it has been brought to her attention and would be meeting with Maj. Godin.

Not sure what is going to come of Maj. Godin's showdown. Because of the unique position of JROTC instructors, the union cannot truly claim that Maj. Godin has been "free-riding" on their hard work, since he is not beholden to the contract the union negotiates, nor are his benefits provided by the school or the union. However, forced unionism is a sacrosanct position in non-Right to Work states and with NEA membership already down by 20,000 dues-paying members, it is hard to imagine the union will tolerate any opportunity for teachers to choose whether or not to pay the union.

Should Maj. Godin be required to pay union dues?
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