CRISISBOOM

Democrats and union leaders blasted the latest Republican changes to Senate Bill 5 today, including those that would allow workers to decline to pay union dues, even if they are covered by a union contract, and allowing government employers to refuse to deduct union payments that are directed to political action committees.

“They’ve clearly made a horrible bill even worse,” said William Leibensperger, vice-president of the Ohio Education Association.

Under many negotiated contracts, workers who do not want to join a union, but are still covered by terms of the union contract, must still pay dues known as “fair share.” The bill would no longer allow a fair-share requirement in union contracts.

“That kind of amendment really shines the light on what this bill is all about, which is silencing the voice of people who collectively bargain on behalf of their members, and, in our case, on behalf of the children we work with,” Liebensperger said.

Republicans have argued that workers who do not want to join the local union should not have Read more…