Dear Mr. Chairman and Representative Connolly,
I am writing on behalf of the members of the Fraternal Order of Police to advise you of our strong opposition to draft legislation entitled the “Paycheck Protection Act,” which we understand will soon be introduced and considered by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
This blatantly anti-union bill would prohibit union members from choosing to pay their dues automatically from their paychecks—a standard practice at every level of public employment. This puts an unnecessary burden on union members who receive services based on their payment of dues. Why hassle these employees and force them to find less convenient means to cover their dues? Is Congress also considering restricting a Federal employee’s choice to contribute to charity via payroll deduction? Or would that unnecessarily burden the contributor and the charities?
This legislation is nothing more than a tired and cliched attempt to harass union members and organizations, like the FOP, by providing just one more obstacle to ensuring that they have a voice in the workplace and one more reason that candidates for Federal law enforcement careers will look elsewhere. It is not a serious or well-thought-out proposal and is unworthy of the attention of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
On behalf of the more than 377,000 members of the Fraternal Order of Police, I urge the Committee to see this bill for what it is and reject any attempt to consider it. If I can provide any additional information about the FOP’s views on this bill, please do not hesitate to contact me or Executive Director Jim Pasco in our Washington, D.C. office.
Sincerely,
Patrick Yoes
National President