Paycheck Deception Legislation Advances in Mo. State HouseApril 26, 2013 Missouri’s House Workforce Development and Workplace Safety Committee approved “paycheck protection” legislation on April 10. The bill would weaken public-sector unions by prohibiting members from having dues earmarked for political action from being automatically deducted from their paychecks.
For EPI, political economist Gordon Lafer writes:
Federal law already requires that any political spending by unions be done through a separate political action committee, funded with voluntary donations. Similar rules exist on the state level. In other words, writes Lafer:
So why the sudden push for so-called paycheck protection? Lafer says it is the result of a concentrated push by ALEC, which has promoted similar bills in dozens of other states, to weaken the labor movement. Funded by some of the largest corporations in the country, including Wal-Mart and Koch Industries, ALEC is a Washington, D.C. - based think-tank that promotes “model” or complete legislation to state lawmakers to further its anti-worker agenda. Writers Lafer:
While making it harder for unions to participate in the political process, other organizations that benefit from automatic payroll deductions – from health and life insurance companies to prescription drug distributors – are exempted from the legislation, even though many of those companies also spend money on politics and lobbying. Says state Rep. Keith English, who is also a member of St. Louis Local 1:
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