Rauner Orders State Agencies To Start Diverting Union 'Fair Share' Dues
From the Associated Press
Gov. Bruce Rauner, indomitable in attempts to eliminate fees paid to unions by workers who choose not to join, has instructed state agencies to divert money from nonunion employee paychecks away from organized labor until a judge settles the matter.
In a memo obtained by The Associated Press, general counsel Jason Barclay directs departments under the Republican governor's control to create two sets of books: One with the "proper pay" and one, to be processed, that reduces the worker's gross pay by an amount equal to what is normally paid in so-called "fair share" fees.
Rauner signed an executive order last month eliminating the fees nonunion members pay, calling it a First Amendment violation. He's seeking a federal court's declaration that they are unconstitutional.
But the memo raised questions about how the deductions would affect federal tax withholding or health-insurance payments. Taxes are based on gross pay — if it's lower, less is withheld, creating potential headaches down the line.
"We are confident in the process laid out in the memo," Rauner spokeswoman Catherine Kelly said in a prepared statement. "It's no surprise that AFSCME is doing everything in their power to deny state employees from exercising their First Amendment rights."
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Associated Press
Gov. Bruce Rauner, indomitable in attempts to eliminate fees paid to unions by workers who choose not to join, has instructed state agencies to divert money from nonunion employee paychecks away from organized labor until a judge settles the matter.
In a memo obtained by The Associated Press, general counsel Jason Barclay directs departments under the Republican governor's control to create two sets of books: One with the "proper pay" and one, to be processed, that reduces the worker's gross pay by an amount equal to what is normally paid in so-called "fair share" fees.
Rauner signed an executive order last month eliminating the fees nonunion members pay, calling it a First Amendment violation. He's seeking a federal court's declaration that they are unconstitutional.
But the memo raised questions about how the deductions would affect federal tax withholding or health-insurance payments. Taxes are based on gross pay — if it's lower, less is withheld, creating potential headaches down the line.
"We are confident in the process laid out in the memo," Rauner spokeswoman Catherine Kelly said in a prepared statement. "It's no surprise that AFSCME is doing everything in their power to deny state employees from exercising their First Amendment rights."
Read more in our daily News Update...