Illinois Republican governor orders state agencies to divert union 'fair share' dues

Illinois governor Bruce Rauner, dogged in attempts to eliminate fees paid to unions by workers who choose not to join, has instructed state agencies to divert money from non-union employee paychecks away from organized labor until a judge settles the matter.

In a memo obtained by the Associated Press, general counsel Jason Barclay directs departments under the Republican governor’s control to create two sets of books, one of which would move deductions from non-union members to the operations budgets of state agencies instead of to the unions, although the money would not be spent.

The idea was immediately condemned by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the largest of two dozen unions that filed a countersuit over an executive order Rauner signed last month calling the fees a free-speech violation. He’s seeking a federal court’s declaration that they are unconstitutional.

“This legally questionable scheme shows the lengths to which Gov Rauner will go in his obsession to undermine labor unions,” Roberta Lynch, executive director of the Illinois council of AFSCME, said in a prepared statement. “To frustrate lawful fair-share agreements, Rauner is ordering payroll staff to make unauthorized reductions in employees’ established salaries.”

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http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/mar/20/illinois-bruce-rauner-union-fair-share-dues