New Mexico governor reverses policy that asked union members to waive First Amendment rights
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration is reversing a policy imposed by her Republican predecessor by allowing state employee union members to have dues deducted from their paychecks without declaring that they are waiving their First Amendment rights.
The Democratic administration that took office this year is issuing new sign-up forms for the payroll deductions which differ from ones that former Gov. Susana Martinez’s administration issued last year in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that curbed the power of public employee unions.
In a 5-4 decision in August, the high court ruled that states no longer could collect “fair share” fees from workers who aren’t union members to help cover costs of negotiating contracts, which the court majority found violated those workers’ First Amendment rights to free speech.
However, the Martinez administration also stopped collecting union dues from paychecks for hundreds of workers who are union members, requiring them to file forms saying they were waiving their First Amendment rights.
Read more: https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/new-mexico-governor-reverses-policy-that-asked-union-members-to/article_36588b94-a550-50da-9445-9f0e6d486481.html