Posts tagged Automatic dues deduction
Op-ed: Virginia Must Clarify Its Labor Laws
June 9, 2025 // The ideal outcome for Virginia would be to repeal the Democrats’ 2020 law and return Virginia to being one of the few states that outright prohibit collective bargaining in the public sector. North and South Carolina have for decades, and Utah joined them with a new law signed by Governor Spencer Cox (R.) this year. But with Democrats currently in control of the Virginia General Assembly, a repeal effort would go nowhere. In the meantime, the proposed regulations are needed to make sure local government unions are following the law. Virginia is a right-to-work state with many strong protections for employees in unionized workplaces. Public employees deserve those protections just as much as private employees do.
Trump’s stance on unions is what Roosevelt wanted all along
April 11, 2025 // Trump’s executive order, even with its limitations, addresses a longstanding problem in federal governance. The question isn’t whether you support unions or management, but whether you believe the government should prioritize serving citizens over protecting entrenched union interests, regardless of which party controls the White House.
TEXAS: Government Collection of Union Dues | Fast Facts
November 17, 2024 // "The proper role of government is to preserve life, liberty, and property—not to act as a dues collector."
Workers for Opportunity Applauds Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody
October 7, 2023 // The Biden Administration is weaponizing a 60-year-old provision in the Federal Transit Act, which permits the Secretary of Labor to interpret whether laws impacting what transit employee unions can collectively bargaining over – such as automatic dues deductions by public employers – are “fair and equitable.” We applaud Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody's actions to defend her state and transit employees. By filing suit against the Department of Labor, she demonstrates the seriousness with which Florida treats employee rights and worker freedoms. We are likewise proud to have been on the ground floor of educating lawmakers on the merits of the reforms as they advanced and passed into law.
Dallas-Based Danone North America Employee Slams Union with Federal Charges for Illegally Seizing Money from Pay
July 12, 2023 // Alex Botello, a Dallas-based employee of food manufacturer Danone North America, has hit the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 540 union with federal charges after union officials illegally seized union dues from his paycheck. Botello filed his charges at Region 16 of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in Dallas with free legal aid from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation. Botello’s charge says that UFCW bosses rebuffed or ignored his two attempts to revoke a dues checkoff authorization. Botello maintains that the union’s actions violate his rights under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which is supposed to protect American private sector workers’ right to refrain from union activity.
Philadelphia Public Defender Hits UAW Union with Charge for Illegally Threatening Wage Cut
April 25, 2023 // Union official threatened Public Defenders who refused to authorize union to automatically deduct dues from their paychecks Philadelphia Public Defender Brunilda Vargas has filed a federal unfair labor practice charge against the United Autoworkers (UAW) Local 5502 union. The charge states that a union official threatened to reduce her wages and those of her coworkers if they refused to grant the union the power to deduct union dues directly from their paychecks. Vargas is receiving free legal aid from National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation staff attorneys. On April 18, 2023, Vargas filed the charge with the National Labor Relations Board Region 4 (NLRB) for the threats made against her and her colleagues at the Defender Association of Philadelphia. These threats came from a UAW union official against public defenders who chose not to sign automatic dues deduction authorization forms.
Tennessee House Committee Abandons Critical Protections for Teacher Salary Increase
April 12, 2023 // Taxpayers should not be the bills collector for union dues. Unions should collect their own dues and teachers should have the transparency of knowing how much they are paying. Union dues should not simply be another obscure deduction on their paycheck. Worse, teachers’ largest salary increase in Tennessee history could be skimmed by the union. The Tennessee Education Association’s bylaws allow the unions to implement artificial rate hikes for union dues when teachers get raises beyond standard cost of living increases. The unions then use that money to support causes that do not represent Tennessee values. The House Finance, Ways and Means Committee’s failure to safeguard Governor Bill Lee’s vision to get Tennessee teachers and taxpayers out of the business of financing union dues collection is disappointing.
Taxpayer Resources Shouldn’t Be Spent on Union Politics
March 30, 2023 // Members of the Tennessee Education Association must also belong to the National Education Association. Studies show that in 2021, the National Education Association spent nearly $65 million on “political activities and lobbying” – more than double the amount it spent on representational activities. A review of political activities shows that the National Education Association spent its revenue, including Tennessee teachers’ dues, on: Supporting critical race theory Eliminating right-to-work laws Opposing school choice Supporting tax increases The government should not be the bills collector for union dues, especially when those unions are affiliated with national organizations that do not respect Tennessee values. SB 281 and HB 329 would increase minimum teacher pay to $50,000 over four years and end automatic payroll deduction of union dues.
DeSantis Proposal Will Make Educators Decide If Teachers’ Unions Are ‘Really Worth The Money,’ Experts Say
December 23, 2022 // “Automatic dues deduction uses government resources to make it easier for unions to recruit and retain members and creates confusion for workers who may think their workplace union is endorsed by their employer or that membership is required by their employer,” Messenger told the DCNF. “In signing this legislation, Governor DeSantis would be taking a huge step in protecting teachers’ private information and ensuring the Florida state government is not a middleman in funding partisan politics.”