Government workers will no longer have arbitray union dues deducted from paycheck

Florida judge allows blocking of automatic union dues deduction starting Saturday

• Leon County circuit judge J. Lee Marsh denies a plea to prevent the implementation of a law in Florida that bars government workers from having union fees automatically deducted from their wages.

• The law, SB 256, places new constraints on public employee unions and is seen by supporters as increasing transparency and by critics as an attempt to weaken unions.

• The ruling allows the portion of the law relating to the deduction of union dues to be enacted, leading to a drop in revenue for impacted unions, while the lawsuit challenging the law continues.

"The law in question, SB 256, was signed into effect by Governor Ron DeSantis last month, sparking the legal challenges. The law places a raft of new constraints on public employee unions. Supporters of the bill argue that the law will lead to increased transparency, while critics decry it as a politically-charged move aimed at weakening unions.

After listening to over three hours of debate, Marsh ruled that the change does not infringe on collective bargaining rights as it does not significantly impact wages, hours, or conditions of employment, but instead is merely a shift in payment methods.

The ruling does not settle the core issues brought by the lawsuit, but it allows the portion of the law relating to the deduction of union dues to be enacted while the lawsuit is ongoing. The end result is that the impacted unions will likely see a drop in revenue while they adjust how they collect dues." [thecapitolist.com]

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