Texas GOP lawmakers aiming to ban payroll deductions for union dues
AUSTIN — Union supporters and business advocates clashed again Wednesday over the use of payroll deductions to collect union dues, as Senate Republicans look to resurrect a bill to ban the practice.
Texas GOP leaders have kept their eyes on the issue since a similar bill failed in the 2015 session. Last year's legislation, which would have prohibited most public employees from deducting their union dues from paychecks, as is currently allowed, died when House Democrats successfully blocked it from being heard by a committee.
Unions and public employees argued at a Senate State Affairs Committee hearing that the disagreement is a "non-issue." But Sen. Joan Huffman, the Houston Republican who chairs the committee and authored the 2015 bill against the deductions, has support from businesses and conservative groups, some of which consider the issue a top priority.
John Riddle, the president of Texas State Association of Firefighters, called efforts to do away with the dues deductions “an attack on the public sector.” Opponents argue that the practice is voluntary, and that employee organizations cannot use dues for political contributions, under state law.
Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/headlines/20160914-texas-gop-lawmakers-aiming-to-ban-payroll-deductions-for-union-dues.ece
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