Georgia – Workers Win Fight for Constitutional and Worker Rights
AFSCME activists and allies helped kill legislation that would have required written authorization of each employee before an employer could deduct union dues – designed to undermine union solidarity.
The collective voices of thousands of AFSCME and other union members and supporters helped to defeat legislation designed to undermine union strength and free speech rights.
The bill, SB 469, was a direct assault on the right of individuals to peacefully protest. Specifically, it would have imposed a $1,000 fine on people who picketed “at or near” private homes (such as those of corporate executives). It also would have diluted union strength and solidarity by preventing employers from deducting dues without the written authorization of each employee, annually, to do so.
That latter requirement, which we call “paycheck deception” because it can weaken collective bargaining, was taken directly from the playbook of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). The corporate-backed organization is at the forefront of efforts to destroy unions. In fact, four senators who sponsored the legislation are members of the organization.
The ultimate aim of this legislation was to silence the voices of union members who take a public stand for their rights. To fight back, more than 2,000 people, including members of AFSCME and other unions, and their allies, demonstrated at the state Capitol and lobbied their lawmakers. They also made phone calls, sent e-mails and posted Facebook messages.
The state AFL-CIO also submitted 900 letters opposing SB 469, and presented legislators with a petition signed by more than 10,000 people. So harmful was this measure that even the Georgia tea party opposed it, co-sponsoring rallies calling for its defeat.
The tactics worked. Although the Senate approved the bill, the House ended its yearly session in March without taking action, effectively killing it for the year.
