Senate amends and passes union dues bill

HB 1575, concerning the deduction of union dues and fees, passed the Senate on party lines last week.

HB 1575 was developed in response to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Janus v. AFSCME that made union agency fees unconstitutional. The bill removes statutory language regarding agency fees and provides a uniform process for authorizing the deduction and revocation of union dues from an employee’s pay. The bills also allow a cross-check process to determine union representation for certain public employees.

The bill would:

• Allow electronic and voice recorded dues authorization;
• Eliminate statutory language related to union security provisions;
• Amend union and employer responsibilities regarding dues deductions; and
• Limit the liability of employers and unions for claims or actions for requiring, deducting, receiving, or retaining agency fair share fees before June 27, 2018.

Before voting on passage of the bill, the Senate adopted an amendment which provides employers two payroll cycles to end union payroll deductions upon receiving confirmation that an employee has revoked the authorization of dues deductions. The original version of the bill only provided employers one payroll cycle to end the deduction.

The House must now vote to adopt the changes made in the Senate before final passage of the legislation.