Union Bullies U.S. Marine

In the upside down world of unions, if you aren’t on their side you are an enemy to the country… even if you are U.S. Marine of 20 years service and have been a highly recognized teacher in a ROTC program for 14 years. Because he refused to become a union member and has accrued $500 in unpaid dues the union thugs at North High School in Worcester, Massachusetts had retired Major Stephen L. Godin fired from his ROTC teaching position.

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“It just seems crazy that they’re gonna fire me over $500,” said Maj. Stephen L. Godin, senior naval science instructor at the Naval Junior ROTC Unit of North High School. “Everyone’s talking about finding good teachers - I haven’t missed a day in 14 years.”

It is crazy, especially considering the reason why Major Godin refused to join the union. He isn’t just a hide-bound, anti-unionist — not that these aren’t good reasons themselves. He has a dang good reason for not wanting to join the union.

Godin, a 20-year Marine veteran until 1994, who flew F-4 Phantoms and was deployed five times, said he refuses to join the union because he receives all his benefits, including health insurance and half his salary, from the military. Unlike other teachers, he doesn’t earn a stipend for after-school activities, such as the hours he spends coaching the high school’s regional champion drill team. His salary is dictated by the U.S. Military, not labor negotiators, Godin said.

His position is completely needless of a union and his joining one would neither affect his employment, nor help him in any way. So, why has this happened? It has happened for the precise reason that public employee unions should be made illegal. Union powermongers convinced pliant, spineless, greedy politicians to pass a law that says no teacher can teach without being a union member or unless they pay fees that go to unions even if said employee doesn’t join the union. In other words, union thugs got pocketed politicians to extort all teachers in order to supply unions with piles of free cash. That is singularly un-American, but it is the case in most U.S. states. So now a teacher that is paid by the feds, is not covered by any benefits of the union, and has a distinguished career of service to his country is out on his rear-end. Public employees unions are antithetical to education and good government.