On Sunday, 7/23/17, RWP Labor Vice President, Rusty Brown, testified before the Texas Senate Committee on Business and Commerce for a bill to end the practice of unions using the government to collect union dues for its public employee members. The bill ultimately passed with a vote of 6-3 and now heads to the Senate floor. Because of current technology, which provides safe and efficient ways to schedule automatic deductions, the union practice is outdated. Unions, fearing they will lose many members if they don’t have the state serving up a de facto endorsement, have pushed back against this progress. It’s easier for them to hold on to legislation that guarantees their revenue stream than it is for them to go out and earn their money by bargaining for the better pay and benefits that they promised to their members in the first place. In addition, government sector unions are exempt from the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act, which requires unions to file financial transparency reports with the department of labor. Because government unions have no accountability to the members they represent, this revenue hit would impact their dark money pool. This pool is often used to support worker centers and political agendas the majority of their members would likely oppose.
Perhaps the saddest part of the hearing was the parade of union activists testifying that the majority of government employees in Texas don’t have bank accounts. They claim this is the way it must continue for these people to have access to union representation. That is a good old-fashioned lie! While there may be government employees without bank accounts, they would be the exception, not the rule. Paying bills is not convenient for anyone, but it’s a fact of life. People without bank accounts still manage to pay their bills and other necessities every month, without the government deducting these expenses from their paychecks. It is not appropriate or necessary for the state of Texas to serve as the unions’ debt collector any longer. We support the passing of SB 7 and 94.
