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| May 13th, 2008 |
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Media Contact(s): Mark Eddington or Lindsey Stimpson, (202) 224-5251 |
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Printable Version |
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SEN. HATCH INTRODUCES PUBLIC EMPLOYEE BILL OF RIGHTS
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Washington – Concerned about the forced unionization of police, firefighters and other first responders, U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) today introduced a Public Employee Bill of Rights amendment to the proposed Public Employer-Employee Cooperation Act.
Speaking on the Senate floor, Hatch said his amendment would protect the rights of public safety workers who are not currently unionized. He said the amendment was necessary to counter the Public Employer-Employee Act, which he said would curtail non-union public safety workers’ rights.
The full text of Sen. Hatch’s speech follows:
Mr. President, many of my colleagues have spoken about the tremendous service America’s public safety employees give to the public. I could not agree more. Any given day one of these officers may be asked to put his or her life on the line – and they will do so willingly and courageously. I agree with my colleagues that individuals who choose these careers deserve respect, gratitude and special treatment.
But the Bill that we are considering today would actually result in diminishing the rights of public safety employees who are not currently unionized. Once a workforce is unionized, even employees who do not wish to be a part of a union will have pay deducted from their paychecks, spent in a manner outside of their control and they will have very little ability to question or alter the legal representation that has been established with or without their support. My amendment seeks merely to balance that diminution of self-determination by establishing a Public Employee Bill of Rights.
This amendment would do three things: guarantee the right to vote by secret ballot, limit the right of public union’s dues collection authority to non-political uses, and allow financial transparency. By ensuring that public safety employees in all states have the right to vote on whether to unionize by secret ballot, my amendment guarantees for public safety employees that same right private employees now have. In a democratic society nothing is more sacred than the right to vote, and it is undeniable that nothing ensures truly free choice more than the use of a private ballot. The possibility of coercive or threatening behavior towards employees who may not wish to form a union is even more concerning in the context of public safety employees who rely on coworkers to reduce the deadly risks they face routinely in the course of their work.
The amendment would also limit the right of public union’s dues collection authority to non-political uses. Those that choose public service often accept lower pay than they might make in the private sector because they are dedicated to public service. Let’s not insult that choice by allowing labor bosses to take money from that paycheck and spend it on purely political causes the employee does not support.
I believe public employees should have the same protections from fraud and abuse as private employees. My amendment would empower public employees by allowing them to observe how their dues are being spent and the other financial dealings of their unions. It does this by bringing public unions under the requirements of the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act, a 1959 law enacted with bipartisan support including then Senator Jack Kennedy. Public employees who pay union dues, especially those that are compelled to do so against their wishes, are no less entitled to financial transparency and fraud protections than the private sector employees covered under the law today.
I urge my colleagues to support my amendment.
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