HB 2643: Taxpayer bailout of union political dues

House Bill 2643 requires taxpayers bailing our unions for their union member dues!!!
By Taxpayer Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

House Bill 2643 transfers responsibility to pay basic union dues for government workers to the government. Thanks to the 2018 United States Supreme Court decision, Janus Vs. ASCFME, all government workers now have the right for themselves whether to pay a union’s political dues which are used often to fund activities that violate their conscience and political beliefs.

Since the 2018 Janus decision thousands of Oregon government employees are dropping their toxic union political dues that they find offensive. Now comes House Bill 2643 which appears to allow the government to pick up the missing dues.

HB 2643 summary:

“Provides that membership in public sector labor organization is voluntary. Prohibits public employer from requiring public employee to pay dues to labor organization if employee chooses not to join labor organization. Establishes Employment Relations Protection Account. Imposes assessment, administered by Employment Relations Board, on public employers in amount that equals established percentage of employer’s payroll for public employees who are members of labor organization. Directs board to deposit assessments in Employment Relations Protection Account. Directs board to distribute moneys in account, minus amount retained by board for administrative costs, to exclusive representative of employer’s employees who are members of labor organization. Makes matters related to assessments subject to collective bargaining. Declares emergency, effective on passage.”

HB 2643 may state that this new government fund (Employment Relations Protection Account) won’t be used for political activity but will likely end up subsidizing the people and organizations that do they politics. We will learn more as the bill has a hearing.

..and of course, it has an emergency clause so voters will not be able to vote on it using a referendum petition drive.

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