AWF Endorses Oregon Paycheck Protection Initiative
20 JUNE 2008
202-785-0266
Free Market Group Endorses Oregon Paycheck Protection Initiative
AWF Urges Citizens to Vote “Yes” on Initiative 25
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF), a national organization dedicated to combating anti-worker legislation and the promotion of free and open markets, endorsed Initiative 25 in Oregon, known as “Paycheck Protection”.
Currently, America’s 10 largest unions used an average of only 30 percent of their dues to represent their members and negotiate with employers. They spent the other 70 percent on activities like lobbying, political activities, gifts, grants, overhead, and compensation for their staff according to James Sherk of the Heritage Foundation.
According to AWF’s Executive Director Brian Johnson, Oregon’s Initiative 25 will remove the automatic payroll deductions thus giving workers greater control of their union dues. “Initiative 25 would protect the hard-earned income of every public employee in Oregon by stopping unions from using workers’ dues to fund political campaigns,” says Johnson.
In AWF’s annual publication, The 2007 Index of Worker Freedom: A National Report Card, Oregon received a “C” when analyzed using 10 variables. One of which concerned if the state had a paycheck protection law or not. Passing this measure will improve Oregon’s score in the 2008 Index according to Johnson.
If Initiative 25 passes in Oregon, public workers will not have their dues or other public resources used for political purposes. “Initiative 25 allows each union member to choose the campaigns and political causes to support, instead of leaving that decision to the union bosses,” adds Johnson. "Paycheck protection laws protect workers in Idaho, Michigan, Ohio, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. It is time to add Oregon to the list of states that protect their workers’ wages and their workers’ rights.”
The Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF) is a special project of Americans for Tax Reform dedicated to the protection of workers rights.
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact John Kartch at (202) 785-0266 or at jkartch@atr.org.
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