Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Legislation would require annual consent for public employees' union dues deductions : News

Legislation would require annual consent for public employees' union dues deductions : News

click link and then call Nixon to veto

snip


Supporters claim the legislation will serve as a shield to protect workers’ paychecks from being pilfered for political activities they don’t agree with and will preserve their First Amendment rights.

“If you support the First Amendment, you should support this bill,” said Rep. Rick Brattin, R- Harrisonville.
But opponents claim the move is unnecessary and will affect how unions participate in the political process. They say the real intent is a calculated hit to organized labor.

“Instead of a job creation agenda, which they should have, they have an anti-worker agenda,” said Mike Louis, secretary treasurer of Missouri AFL-CIO.

Nixon, a Democrat, could veto the bill, but he hasn’t yet made his intentions public.

The measure passed the Republican-controlled House in an 85-69 vote — well below the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto.

In its original form, the legislation would have blocked public employee labor unions from automatically deducting fees from employees’ paychecks — even if workers gave their permission. But after an eight-hour filibuster on the paycheck deduction legislation in March, the GOP-controlled Senate passed a version that scaled back the proposal to requiring yearly consent

The bill includes an exemption for first responders such as firefighters and paramedics. It covers all public employee unions, including some state workers and local and regional government employees — among them the 35,000 members of the Missouri National Education Association.
House members defended the proposal on the floor Monday.

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