In a contrast to demonstrations scheduled throughout the state this week that are likely to be boisterous, union members gathered for a silent protest outside a Senate committee meeting Monday.
About 40 people, union members, students and others, placed blue tape over their mouths and made two single-file lines outside the Senate Community Affairs Committee. The numbers 830 were written in black marker on many of the pieces of tape, in order to protest Senate Bill 830, sponsored by Sen. John Thrasher, R-Jacksonville.
The bill, a hot-button item, would prevent state agencies and local governments from automatically deducting union dues from worker paychecks.
The demonstrators said the protest symbolizes the effect the bill would have on their ability to participate in the political process, namely by silencing unions.
A Tallahassee politician shouldnt tell me how to spend my money. If this bill passes, then the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Associated Industries of Florida and all the big business, big industry will be the only voice in Florida politics, said Jayne Walker, a supervisor of Lynx bus drivers in Orlando and a treasurer of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1749.
Union members said the bill would prevent not just the automatic collection of dues, but also using the dues for political purposes.
Thrasher, however, amended the bill Monday, inserting a provision allowing union members to give written authorization to spend their dues for political purposes.
The bill doesnt do that. The bill simply says the government is not going to collect dues anymore. They can sign an authorization that says they can do that, Thrasher said.
Under the bill, spending union dues on contributions to a candidate, political party, political committee, committee of continuous existence or electioneering communications organization without authorization from an individual union member would be prohibited.
Automatic deductions of dues is helpful to government worker unions, who contribute heavily to Democratic candidates and causes in Florida.
Its just such an easier process. Its just a better way of governing what we do, Walker said.
But Thrasher says his bill offers a remedy for union members who want to have a greater say in how their dues are spent without fear of intimidation or retaliation.
Currently a worker who disagrees with the union has limited choices. A worker will be given the right to prevent the union from spending his dues on politics if he chooses to. Its basically a bill that would say we are neutral, Thrasher said.
Several government union members were poised to speak on the bill Monday, but the committee, which held long discussion on other bills, ran out of time.
Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, who chairs the committee, suggested members of each union organize their speakers ahead of the next committee meeting, where the bill will be first on the agenda.
Reach Gray Rohrer at grohrer@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
