dems kill republicans effort to safeguard academic Linthicum 062617

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SENATE MINORITY WHIP

DENNIS LINTHICUM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 26, 2017

VICE CITY - SALEM: Dems kill Republicans' effort to safeguard academic faculty from being exploited by thuggish Unions

SALEM, Ore.-Democrats are now aiming at academic faculty after last week illegally passing an illegal, unfair $667 million, 41 percent tax surge on Oregon's smallest businesses, even mom-and-pops and family businesses like farms with less than ten employees. Dems are also holding hostage a bipartisan, record-breaking classroom funding package, and they are threatening to derail bipartisan work on a transportation package and more, but as if that weren't enough, the hostage holding spree isn't over.

Today, Democrats killed Republicans' efforts to prevent professors and university staff from being exploited by being coerced to give money to unions. The Republican effort was bolstered by filing a minority report, a procedural move to change a bill while maintaining its key focus or goal. Extending coercive collective bargaining authority to college faculty, without an opt-in provision, will increase the administrative and personnel costs for Oregon's severely underfunded public universities, in turn, further burdening our broken PERS and health care systems.

Senate Minority Whip Dennis Linthicum, R-Klamath Falls, released the following statement:

"Union bosses and their political bagmen are holding up academic faculty to pinch their money. Oregonians are witnesses to a gangster government mugging everyone it possibly can to feed its financial appetite. Senate Republicans will not support stealing rights and stealing money from innocent Oregonians. We must expand workers' rights in this state, it is a grave issue, and it is only going to get worse."

House Bill 3170 B unacceptably mandates academic faculty pay against their will huge dues to Big Unions, even if they voluntarily choose to not submit to the forced membership. Many people object to being forced against their consent to pay expensive, immoral Union dues, some because they object to the profligate political purchasing that goes on by the Unions.

To fix the bill, Republicans tried to make it so that academic faculty could have choice and freedom in Union membership and to not be forced to fork over the associated, forced Union dues. Republicans contend that under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution public university employees should not be required to join or pay so-called fair share dues to an organization to which they do not want to be associated. Republicans say it is a fundamental precept of our Constitutional system and the Democrats' exploitation of academic faculty abrogates a liberty interest.

The minority report was defeated by 17 Democrats voting NO and HB 3170 B was passed 17 to 13.

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For follow-up commentary please contact Senate Minority Whip Spokesman Jonathan Lockwood at Jonathan.Lockwood@OregonLegislature.gov, or 971-645-2140.

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