A totally unnecessary clash between the big business lobby and public sector unions was avoided on Tuesday, May 12, when a bill that would have prohibited payroll deduction of union dues was returned to the calendar by its author.
HB 418 cannot be brought back up for a vote without a 48-hour notice. Any House member may object to hearing the bill, which would trigger a vote to determine if it will be heard.
The Louisiana Federation of Teachers and the Louisiana Association of Educators, along with partners in police, firefighter and other public sector unions, are cautiously hopeful that the bill will not be revived during this legislative session.
The bill was strangely mischaracterized as the most important issue of this session by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, which lobbied hard to get the bill approved by the House Labor and Industrial Relations Committee and onto the House floor for a vote.
Without a doubt, the many calls and e-mails from Louisiana’s teachers, school employees, firefighters, police officers and other public servants were crucial informing many legislators was a divisive, unnecessary distraction during this short fiscal session.
LAE President Debbie Meaux and LFT President Steve Monaghan express their gratitude to everyone who became engaged and contacted legislators in opposition to the bill.
Members are urged to stay tuned for updates and commit to participating in any urgent calls to action that may be necessary before the session ends on June 11.
