Workers for Opportunity Applauds Alabama Legislature for Passing Landmark Worker Freedom Legislation
MONTGOMERY, AL — By 72-30 vote margin, the House of Representatives passed landmark legislation yesterday that would ensure state tax incentives do not flow to companies that deny their employees access to private ballot votes over whether to unionize their workplace. This marks the last critical hurdle for the proposal, which passed the Senate 23-5 last week and will head to Gov. Ivey’s desk in the coming days.
SB231 protects workers’ right to a private vote in union organizing campaigns at companies that receive taxpayer incentive dollars.
Sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, SB231 addresses longstanding concerns about unionization efforts by “card-check” – a process of collecting support cards from employees and recognized in lieu of private ballot elections by some employers. This approach to organizing, while permissible under federal regulations, can expose employees to intense pressure and intimidation by union organizers at their workplaces and in full view of their peers.
By passing this legislation, Alabama will join Georgia and Tennessee in asserting that workers deserve to make decisions about who represents them in private and state taxpayers should not be subsidizing coercive unionization efforts.
“The Mackinac Center for Public Policy’s national Workers for Opportunity initiative applauds the passage of this bill and looks forward to celebrating Gov. Kay Ivey’s timely signature of this landmark legislation,” said Tony Daunt, Senior Director of Workers for Opportunity. “Thanks to the leadership of bill sponsor Senator Arthur Orr and House Majority Leader Scott Stadthagen, Alabama will join Tennessee and Georgia as the third state in the nation to enact such protections for taxpayers and workers.”
What key Alabama policymakers are saying:
"Alabama is proud of our longstanding commitment to advancing policies that protect workers' rights to earn a living, free from coercion. Yesterday, we took an important step in ensuring that taxpayer dollars will not subsidize companies that deprive their employees of the right to a private vote over whether to unionize,” said Alabama House Majority Leader Scott Stadthagen. “This policy makes clear that Alabama is a friendly state for employees to work and business owners to open up shop, without fear of combative union politics threatening their livelihoods and bottom lines."
"With the passage of this critical legislation, Alabama will become a friendlier state for employees and job creators to do business,” said bill sponsor Senator Arthur Orr. “I look forward to sending this bill to the Governor's desk and seeing these principled protections become law."
To interview Workers for Opportunity about this issue and broader labor policy, please email press@workersforopportunity.org.
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Workers For Opportunity is a project of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. WFO’s goal is to advance the liberty of employees across the country and protect their First Amendment rights by ensuring they have a full and informed choice in union membership.
