Over the next few weeks, you will be voting on scores of bills
Over the next few weeks, you will be voting on scores of bills. A few of these bills have profound impacts on labor organizations in this state. Specifically, there are four bills we strongly believe are designed to inhibit the ability for working people to come together and have a collective voice at work. Collective bargaining works well in Maine for both employers and employees, and we should maintain the balanced, fair system we have now. We strongly encourage every legislator to please vote against these bills: LD 404: An Act to Prohibit the Collection of Service Fees by the State This bill would make it illegal for public sector union members to pay their dues through payroll deduction, even though members negotiate this through collective bargaining with their employers. Payroll deduction is an efficient, 21 st century method of making payments and it is how most union members choose to pay their dues. This bill does nothing to prevent workers from contributing to other organizations via payroll deduction such as the United Way or other charitable organizations. The bill is solely designed to single out unions and will not survive a court challenge. Please vote ought not to pass on LD 404. LD 489: An Act to Ensure the Right to Work with Payment of Dues or Fees to a Labor Union as a Condition of Employment This bill would make Maine a so-called Right to Work state for both private and public sector workers. Federal law states clearly that nobody can be forced to join a union. Currently, union members can negotiate with employers that all represented employees pay the cost of negotiation and representation, since unions have an obligation to represent all workers in a bargaining unit. This bill interferes with collective bargaining and with the employer/worker labor relationship. Please vote ought not to pass on LD 489. LD 1010: An Act to Afford Public Employers Flexibility to Achieve Efficiency and Quality in Management This bill comes from disgruntled managers in Scarborough who lost an arbitration case. The bill, as written, would prohibit a public sector union from negotiating over subcontracting of certain job classes. The school board in Scarborough attempted to subcontract certain positions in schools and an arbitrator ruled against them citing the arbitrators do not believe “that the evidence supports a conclusion that subcontracting will be beneficial.” If passed, any public sector work could be subcontracted without having to even discuss the matter with the represented employees. Please vote ought not to pass on LD 1010. LD 1319: An Act to Ensure that Maine State Employee Wages and Benefits Serve a Public Service This bill would make it illegal for any public employee to conduct any labor/management activity during work time. This bill is unworkable. Many managers appreciate a prompt fix to problems as they arise and would prefer to deal with issues immediately rather than waiting until after work to address concerns or emergency issues that arise during the course of a work day. Please vote ought not to pass on LD 1319. The four bills are critical bills for the labor organizations in the state. They are all designed to hinder the ability for working people to come together and have a voice on the job through effective and efficient organizations. Please feel free to call or email if we can be helpful in any way. Matt Schlobohm Maine AFL-CIO 207.576.3572 [email protected] John Kosinski Maine Education Association 207.458.1312 [email protected] Maryanne Turowski Maine State Employees Association 207.215.3325 [email protected]
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