Governor Jay Nixon (D) vetoed today House Bill 1891, which would require public employees to give annual written consent for union dues to be taken from their paychecks. Advocates of the legislation call it “paycheck protection”, while opponents refer to it as “paycheck deception”.
In a statement from Nixon, he said such a law would impose an additional and unnecessary process on public employees such as teachers and mental health caregivers, for the purposes of hindering their Constitutionally-guaranteed right to organize and bargain collectively.
“Making it harder for teachers and mental health workers to exercise their constitutional right to organize is wrong and a waste of taxpayer dollars,” Nixon said. “Lawmakers should be supporting workers instead of attacking their constitutional right to organize for fair wages and safe workplaces.”
First responders like law enforcement and firefighters were left out of the measure.
The Governor also noted that House Bill 1891 goes further than previous “paycheck deception” bills by opening up new avenues for lawsuits against employee associations, including those representing teachers and first responders.
If the vote counts stand, there is enough support in both chambers to override Nixon’s veto.
