House Democratic Caucus members on Friday debated and voted against House Bill 1021, a Republican-sponsored measure that would prohibit the automatic payroll deduction of union dues from public employees?paychecks.
The bill would require unions to get written permission from members before their dues can be used for political contributions. Democratic Caucus members argued, among other points, that the apparent purpose of the bill is to eliminate public employee unions.
The following are some of their remarks during today? debate:
Rep. Joseph Gibbons, D-Hallandale Beach: ?he intent of this legislation is to target and weaken one group, public employee unions. The collection of union dues is not a broken process and does not need to be fixed.?
Rep. Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth: ?veryday, I walk in this building and ask, `Who are we sticking it to today? So far, we?e compiling quite a list. We?e stuck it to the unemployed, to teachers, to public employees, women, and now we?e sticking it to unions.?
Rep. Franklin Sands, D-Weston: ?ou have said that you resent the connotation that this bill is a union-busting bill. Resent away, but at the end of the end it truly is a union-busting bill.?
Rep. Luis Garcia, D-Miami: ?his is nothing but a bill to prohibit unions to express their political will?his is un-American. We?e losing our freedoms.?
Rep. Irv Slosberg, D-Boca Raton: ?t feels like everyone woke up one day and decided that unions are our enemies. That unions are leeches and need to be eliminated from the system
