.png)
(CT AFL-CIO, FEB. 1, 2019)--In the Janus v. AFSCME decision in June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that public sector workers who benefit from their unions' collective bargaining pro-grams owe no financial obligation to support those efforts. The decision was a political effort to diminish workers' rights and elevate anti-union interests.
This week Representatives Robyn Porter and Michael D'Agostino introduced four bills that, at their core, would help protect public employees' fundamental right to collectively bargain. They create opportunities for workers to come together, learn about their rights and make the decision to join and support a union free from outside influence. Taken together, they reset the public sector employer-employee relationship post-Janus to provide fairness, dignity and a voice in the workplace.
All four bills have all been referred to the Labor & Public Employees Committee. Public hearings are expected to be held in the coming weeks on each of these bills:
- HB 6926 requires public employers to provide employee lists to the exclusive bargaining agent at least once per calendar quarter.
- HB 6930 requires public employers to provide unions access to new employee orientations so the union can inform new hires of their rights, responsibilities and the role of the union and the benefits provided.
- HB 6935 requires public employers to consult with the union before issuing mass employee communications regarding their rights to either join or support a union.
- HB 6936 requires public employers to honor the terms of the authorization process for employee payroll deductions for union dues.
This article first appeared in the CT AFL-CIO's The Worker Bee Feb. 1 report.