One of the big unspoken fights in Wisconsin over these past few weeks has been Scott Walker’s proposal for the state to stop collecting union dues for the unions. The other has been to make paying union dues voluntary, as opposed to requiring payment as a condition of employment. To unions, that is like cutting their oxygen off. Unions cannot survive without the millions they pull in from workers and, if they had their druthers, union bosses would rather see workers fired than have them refuse to pay union dues.
Generally speaking, there are three ways for unions to collect union dues. The first is that union bosses can chase their members down on payday with their hands out; the second is that members can send the union its dues (or pay it in person); and, the third is that unions can convince employers to withhold the union dues from the members’ paychecks (employers then send the money to the unions). In this last case, which known as “dues check off,” employers becomes the unions’ dues collection agency. It is very common and, of course, union bosses love not having to spend the resources going to collect their own dues.
Well, earlier today, the Florida State House voted to stop the state from being unions’ dues collection agency.
Following the latest firefight between Democrats and Republicans, the GOP-dominated House OK’d legislation Friday that would bar state and local governments from collecting payroll deductions for union dues.
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“There are other ways for unions to collect their dues that don’t involve state resources,” Dorworth said. On the Senate side, a former Florida Republican Party, Sen. John Thrasher, is sponsoring the measure.
The House approved the measure in a mostly party-line, 73-40 vote. The Senate bill (CS/SB 830) has at least one more committee stop before facing a full vote.
Of course, union bought Democrats in Florida (though they haven’t fled the state…yet) are fuming.
“Do not put lipstick on this elephant,” said Rep. Janet Cruz, D-Tampa, adding the measure, “is about silencing the voices of working men and women.”
The measure also allows public employee union members to demand a refund of dollars spent on any union political activity with which they didn’t agree.
Unions don’t like that last provision either–demanding a refund for money spent on politics–since it well, you know, let’s them get more union-bought Democrats elected.
Unfortunately for unions and their de facto labor party, when they’ve become so dependent on politics that their very existence relies on government, people eventually wake up to the game.
America is awake now.
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“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776
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