Jacqueline O’Neil began her job as an accountant clerk for the Port Huron Area School District in August of 2008. She said she couldn’t believe she had to join a union and pay dues as a condition of employment.

“It was either that or find employment elsewhere,” O’Neil said.

When right-to-work became law in March of 2013, O’Neil thought she was free to leave the Michigan Education Association. Like many others, she didn't know that if she wanted to stop paying the union she would only be allowed to opt out in the month of August. That is a bylaw exclusive to the MEA and is being legally challenged.

“I was absolutely flabbergasted when I received a 1,000-word email telling me that I had missed the deadline to ‘opt out’ of union membership," O’Neil said.

What’s worse, she said, is the union sent her that email on Sept. 18, 2013, well after the August 'window' had closed.

Now, the union has forwarded her unpaid union dues to a collection agency. The move could harm her credit rating.

O'Neil joins a growing list of public employees who report feeling bullied and has the union trying to harm their credit.

O’Neil was part of the union for seven years and estimates the union collected $2,000 from her over that span.

“It doesn’t seem like a lot, but I consider it $2,000 for nothing,” she said.

O’Neil said she felt bullied by the union bringing in a collection agency.

“It's 'high-end bullying' to put it in elementary school terms: ‘If you don’t play by our rules, we’ll teach you a lesson.'

“Additionally, any ethical group automatically terminates membership for non-payment of dues,” O’Neil added. “They have made the process of leaving the union deliberately confusing in order to keep the money rolling in. To send non-paying members’ names to a collection agency is deplorable. I firmly believe that there are MANY others that wanted out, but found it easier to pay the dues because of the bullying. It would have been easier for me, as well, but I will not be bullied. I am far too busy with my family to have to deal with this immature behavior and the subsequent hassle. I am extremely frustrated and angry about the time that I have had to expend on fighting the union for my freedom from their harassment.”

Deirdre Blake, the president of the Port Huron Association of Educational Secretaries, did not respond to a request for comment.

John Ellsworth, a Grand Ledge Public Schools teacher and a former union president, said the MEA should not use collection agencies for this first year because it didn’t advertise the August opt-out window.

“I do not believe the MEA or my local appropriately told its members in the summer of 2013 about the August opt out window, so I think it is inappropriate to try to collect dues for the 2013-2014 school year using collection agencies,” Ellsworth said. “However, both the MEA and my local have explained the August opt out window this summer, so I think it is fine if the MEA wants to use a collection agency for 2014-2015 dues not paid by members that were informed.”

Legislation needed to allow a phase-out of one of the most regressive set of laws enacted in recent times is expected to be passed by the state Legislature within a matter of weeks.

The measure, Senate Bill 633, is the second piece of a two-bill package aimed at eventually eliminating Michigan's "driver responsibility fees.” The bill could be brought up in the House as soon as Aug. 27.

In a blatant move to hike revenues under the guise of public safety, in 2003 the Legislature passed a bill that assessed "driver responsibility fees." These fees often go beyond just assigning stiffer penalties for unsafe driving practices and pile on costs that individuals often don't have the ability to pay. In addition, under certain circumstances, they include stiff fines for violations such as not being able to produce proof of insurance when stopped by law enforcement.

Once the $123.2 million annual revenue stream from the fees was created, state government became addicted to it. In spite of a decade of public outcry over the fees and frequent statements by lawmakers themselves that the fees were bad policy, they remained on the books.

Two lawmakers, neither of whom is seeking re-election this year, are the sponsors of the legislation to phase the fees out. The new law will also, in the meantime, allow some affected drivers to do community service instead of paying the fines.

House Appropriations Committee Chair Joe Haveman, R-Holland, is the sponsor of House Bill 5414, which creates the phase-out, while Senate Bill 633 deals with the community service in lieu of payment angle. Before the phase-out can begin, both bills need to be signed by Gov. Rick Snyder.

“The main bill (House Bill 5414) phases out the fees over a six-year period, which is longer than I wanted, but it was the best we could get,” Rep. Haveman told Capitol Confidential. “That bill has already been signed by the governor, but it is tie-barred to the Senate Bill (633), which has yet to be passed.”

“This is good legislation,” Rep. Haveman continued. “We have ourselves in a situation where there are $600 million in uncollected fees that we’re never going to collect. We need to get out of this and off the peoples’ backs.”

Sen. Bruce Caswell, R-Hillsdale, said the fees are an unjustified burden and barrier to many.

“These fees have created what is basically a debtors’ prison for low-income citizens in Michigan,” Sen. Caswell said. “We have to end the fees and give these people their lives back so they can do basic things like simply being able to drive to work.

“I applaud the governor for being willing to have this taken up and Rep. Joe Haveman for pursuing it,” Sen. Caswell added. “Rep. Haveman did an absolutely outstanding job with this. He came to me, told me what he wanted to do and said, ‘Bruce, I know this is something you’ve been very concerned about’ and I said, ‘I don’t care who gets the credit for it as long as we get it done.’”

According to a 2012 Senate Fiscal Agency analysis, only 56 percent of the fees assessed were collected. That statistic could be taken as evidence of the degree to which the fees have caused financial hardship. All indications are that when Senate Bill 633 is brought up for a vote in the House it will pass easily. It is also rumored that there are plans for a public press conference/bill signing at which the governor would sign the legislation.