Tim Jones: Take my word for it; destroying unions is good for workers

In a portion of his weekly newsletter, Speaker of the House Tim Jones explains how legislation that hurts the people who are trying to make conditions and wages better for workers will actually help those workers. It's kind of hard to wrap my mind around this concept.

It is difficult enough to see such a large chunk of your paycheck disappear each month as the government takes its share, but even worse for union members who see their dues automatically deducted and then potentially used for causes they do not support.  One of the bills I support this year would provide a substantive level of “paycheck protection” to our union members that would put an end to the practice of a union utilizing member dues to support candidates and political causes not supported by its members.

 The paycheck protection bill was heard this week by the House Workforce Development and Workforce Safety Committee. The legislation would simply prohibit public employee unions from automatically deducting dues from a worker’s paycheck unless it obtains annual written authorization to obtain the fees. It also requires written consent from the worker before the union can spend the collected dues on political activities. This is a straightforward approach that gives workers the freedom and the power to decide how their dues are used.

 I should point out that we passed a similar bill last year that was vetoed by the governor. This year’s legislation seeks to avoid the governor by placing this proposed statutory change on the August ballot for voter approval.