Hi Cheryl, Big warm hug from a fellow traveler on a similar path. My beliefs vary but some of our tenets agree. From your posts I see two very clear pillars under which you may shelter when the earthquake hits: First and foremost, Do That Which Is Right. You know in the depths of your soul that it is wrong for you to join this particular union, AND to be forced to join ANY group whatsoever. Therefore joining against your will is doubly forbidden by your church, the ULC. Secondly, being forced to disclose and defend your religious beliefs in order to remain in a job which you had been perfoming satisfactorily prior to this new law is unconscionable, and therefore also NOT doing That Which Is Right. Have you contacted the American Civil Liberties Union? LOL there's an irony - asking a union to defend you against compulsory membership in a union - maybe it's just me, but I see constitutional issues here. In my experience, living among "liberal" people here in the SF Bay Area, that there is an inverse relationship between individual liberty and political liberalism. The more "liberal," the less individual liberty counts and the more the "greater good" of the collective counts. In other, less tactful words, liberalism is socialism, which is anathema to individual liberty. To take the best care of yourself when the earthquake hits, I would advise you to begin looking at what you can do for a private company that deploys to best advantage all you have learned while working for the government and unions. There are probably many pro-freedom businesses which would love to employ you at a higher salary to contribute your understanding of the inner workings of both government and union management. Best wishes for success beyond your wildest dreams. Cathi aka MoonShaddow in "the People's Republic of California" Silicon valley, Calif
