Louisiana state Capitol

The Louisiana House Labor and Industrial Relations Committee today took up House Bill 451, legislation introduced by Rep. Alan Seabaugh that would give workers say over what they do with their paychecks. Currently, union dues are automatically deducted from government worker paychecks using taxpayer resources. Rep. Seabaugh’s Paycheck Protection bill would get the government out of the business of collecting political dues for unions and put workers back in control of their hard-earned income. ATR strongly supports HB 451 and has sent a letter to Louisiana legislators to encourage them vote Yes on this pro-taxpayer, pro-worker, commonsense measure.

An excerpt from the letter:

HB 451 recognizes the right of workers to organize, but ensures that workers have freedom of association and are not forced to join and fund a union against their will. If passed, HB 451 will end the use of state resources to collect union dues via paycheck withholding. With passage of this important reform, no employee will be forced to see his or her money used to support a political cause he or she does not believe in.

You can read the letter in its entirety here

Photo Credit: StuSeeger