CLEVELAND, March 14 — Members of the Georgia House of Representatives defeated a “paycheck deception” bill on March 11 with the help of Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and members of other labor organizations.
The bill, HB 153, would have restricted labor unions from providing money for political activities. However, the bill did not restrict corporate activities in the same manner.
Georgia working families, including BLET members, mobilized against the bill through the AFL-CIO’s e-activist network and phone banks. This victory was major because the Georgia House is dominated by Republicans by a 99-81 margin.
“Seventeen Republicans stood with us on this legislation, along with 79 Democrats,” said BLET Georgia State Legislative Board Chairman Buddy White. “We sincerely appreciate the support of our friends on both sides of the aisle.”
Paycheck deception laws (or “paycheck protection” as its proponents misleadingly call it) silence working families’ voices in politics by placing massive reporting and administrative burdens on unions before they could use dues money for any type of political expenditure — from educating members about issues and candidates to lobbying for pro-working family legislation.