(New Mexico) Governor wants state to stop collecting union dues

[Redfairen]

Source: Albuquerque Journal

Gov. Susana Martinez’s administration wants to stop allowing union dues to be withdrawn automatically from state employee paychecks, money that she says is turned around for political attacks.

One union leader called that a “declaration of war” against unions and said changing the longstanding practice is simply not going to happen.

.......

“The state collects them (dues) for the unions, and then we cut a check to the unions who then use that money against reform,” Martinez told business leaders attending a commercial real estate development luncheon in Albuquerque on Monday.

“That was in the negotiated union contracts years ago. … We’re at an impasse with the current (contract negotiations) because I don’t want to take the checks out of the payroll and do their job so they can attack us,” she said.



Read more: http://www.abqjournal.com/370925/news/gov-end-collection-of-union-dues-by-state.html

[seveneyes]

1. The government should only be collecting taxes

I can't think of a good reason to not just have union members send a monthly or yearly check to the union.

[bkanderson76]

3. Don't know about collecting taxes but the government should at the very least stick to governing.

They can keep their bloody paws off my Union.

[Omaha Steve]

4. Payroll deduction besides taxes: credit union, health & life ins, united way, AFLAC, etc...

(I give to my International's PAC voluntarily BTW.)

http://www.cityofomaha.org/humanresources/images/stories/public_documents/union_contracts/2009%20to%202012%20Local%20251%20Contract.pdf

It is in my contract: PAGE 63C

ARTICLE 25

CHECK-OFF

SECTION 1 The CITY shall deduct regular monthly UNION dues and assessments from the pay of each employee who has executed a written check-off form in accordance with the terms and provisions of such check-off form.

SECTION 2 Such deductions shall be made from each payroll period and will be remitted within ten (10) calendar days to the designated UNION office.

SECTION 3 Such monthly UNION dues and assessments shall be deducted in total for any pay which is due and owing to the employee during each payroll period.

SECTION 4 If in accordance with the terms and provisions of the check-off form, Appendix 4, an employee properly revokes such check-off authorization, it shall not become effective until the first payroll period of the succeeding calendar month.
SECTION 5 At the time of execution of the Agreement, the UNION shall advise the Payroll Division of the Finance Department of the CITY in writing of the exact amount of regular monthly UNION dues. If, subsequently, the UNION requests the Payroll Division of the Finance Department of the CITY to deduct additional monthly UNION dues, such request shall be effective only upon written assurance by the UNION to the Payroll Division of the Finance Department of the CITY that additional amounts are regular monthly UNION dues duly approved in accordance with the UNION'S constitution and bylaws. Such form shall be in accordance with the terms of Appendix IV and such form shall be treated for all purposes in like manner as the initial authorization form.

SECTION 6 The CITY shall not be liable for the remittance payment of any sums other than those constituting actual deductions made; and if for any reason it fails to make a deduction for any employee as above provided, it shall make that deduction from the employee's next pay period in which UNION dues are normally deducted after written notification to the Payroll Division of the Finance Department of the CITY of the error. If the CITY makes an overpayment to the UNION, the CITY will deduct that amount from the next remittance to the UNION. The UNION agrees to indemnify and hold the CITY harmless against any and all claims, suits, orders or judgments brought or issued against the CITY as a result of any action taken or not taken by the CITY under the provisions of this Article.

PAGE 64C

SECTION 7 If, during the term of this labor agreement, a Nebraska statute is enacted allowing the Union to collect service fees from non-dues paying members, the Union may request that the City enter into good faith negotiations solely for the purpose of adding language to this labor agreement regarding the collection of any such service fees, and the City shall enter into those good faith negotiations without unreasonable delay.

[okaawhatever]

5. So then they should stop taking insurance premiums out of a person's check? nt

[freshwest]

9. Why not just go full Galt and deny the taxes, too? It's the Libertarian reductionist credo. n/t

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

2. Unions are prohibited from using dues

to fund political actions. You'd think a person in a governor's job would know that............

[awoke_in_2003]

6. She became a republican in 95...

one of the prerequisites for being a GOP politician is a strong denial of facts.

[Travis_0004]

7. Are you sure about that?

I know the issue was brought up in Communications Workers of America v. Beck, and its possible to ask for a beck refund, which is a refund of your union fees that are used for political purposes.

If unions can not donate to political causes, what is the purpose of a beck refund?

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

8. There is this and

in my union if you want to contribute money used for politics its a separate 'opt in' arrangement.
http://mediamatters.org/research/2012/12/11/right-wing-media-are-wrong-about-worker-contrib/191802

[Omaha Steve]

12. Union $ for politics is limited but is permitted (hard vs soft $ etc.)

Rachel has had the chart on her show several times. Of the top 10 political contributors, unions have three spots and support mostly D's. The other 7 all tend to be conservative.

That does not include individuals like the Koch brothers. I'm sure everybody thinks unions spent far more on politics than they did.



Thanks citizens united for making it even more unbalanced.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

13. I know it's permittted

but is it permitted to come from union dues? My union (SEIU) has an 'opt in' if I want to support union lobbying........

[Omaha Steve]

15. Dues can be used in a limited way

Sorry but that is correct. PAC money is optional giving and has way fewer restrictions.

OS

[freshwest]

10. This is a just a red herring to 'reform' NM government sans any unionized public workers. Or most

likely, to privatize all NM public jobs out to cronies. That's what they call 'reform,' I call it a moral mutation, to evade being held accountable to anything but the bottom line of an immoral corporation. It's what the GOP always does:

[olddad56]

11. against reform, or for reform?

How much is it going to cost the taxpayers of New Mexico to change the payroll system to not deduct the money? Might be a simple fix, might not be.

[blkmusclmachine]

14. drip drip drip