Union ‘Paycheck Protection Act’ clenches win in House committee

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FLV) – A bill to prohibit public unions from automatically collecting member dues from employees’ paychecks was approved by a House committee Thursday. 

Alternatively, if a union member desired to participate, he or she would need to send a check directly to the union.

The legislation is dubbed “The Paycheck Protection Act” and passed the Constitutional Rights, Rule of Law & Government Operations Subcommittee. 

The legislation is sponsored by Rep. Dean Black, R-Jacksonville, in the House and Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, in the Senate.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has spoken in favor of proposals to nix automatic member due deductions for public unions. 

Black insisted that the bill would benefit Florida taxpayers during committee.

“This Paycheck Protection Act will get taxpayers out of the business of being involved in the balance of constitutional rights under the Florida constitution between the right to collectively bargain and the right to have a free employment state,” Black said.

For unions that represent police officers, firefighters, correctional officers, and correctional probation officers, HB 1445 establishes an exception.

The proposal would mandate that public employees who wish to join a union must sign and date a membership authorization form beginning July 1, 2023.

Lisa O’Rourke, a special education teacher in St. Johns County, spoke in opposition to the proposed legislation.

“By taking away our freedom to have our union and our voice, you’re also taking away the voice of my students,” O’Rourke said. 

Sal Nuzzo from the James Madison Institute delivered remarks in favor of HB 1445.

“This proposal protects employees, provides sensible measures to ensure existing bargaining units are truly representing their employees, and it saves Florida taxpayers by getting them out of the financial relationship between an employee and their union,” Nuzzo said.

The committee’s ranking member, Sen. Dotie Joseph, D-Miami, suggested the bill might have a discriminatory effect.

“If it has an impact, such that disproportionately impacts one group versus another, based on a protected characteristic such as sex, in this case women,” Joseph said. “That is racism, or in this case, sexism.”

Rep. Rachel Plakon, R-Lake Mary, pushed back on Joseph’s remarks and spoke in support of the bill.

“The notion that this bill is a sexist bill, or that the sponsor is somehow sexist, because some people believe that a lot of teachers are female. That’s an insult to women,” Plakon said.