Take Action & Ask Your Legislators to Vote "NO" on HB 1856/SB 1796!
Alyssa Hansen
This past week, many House and Senate committees announced that they will begin hearing their (tentative) final calendars for this session beginning on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Proving once again how things can change at a moment's notice, this means that House Bill 1856/Senate Bill 1796 is back on notice and will be heard in the House Banking & Consumer Affairs Subcommittee on Wednesday, March 9th at 9:00 a.m. CT. It will also be heard in the Senate Commerce & Labor Committee on Tuesday, March 8th at 1:00 p.m. CT.
This bill would tie the hands of private businesses that may want to locate in Tennessee in the future by making them ineligible to receive state monies or be required to return them if any votes on worker representation are not held by a secret ballot election.
There is also a caption bill (House Bill 2111/SB 2142) that, as should be amended in committee, would accomplish the exact same goal as HB 1856/SB 1796.
As a reminder, this legislation is yet another attempt by anti-worker lawmakers who couldn't resist taking a shot at the longstanding, productive relationship between the UAW and Ford during the October special session to insert themselves into matters that should be left up to businesses and workers.
Click here and ask your lawmakers to vote "NO" on HB 1856/SB 1796 AND HB 2111/SB 2142!
We should be focused on working together to create safe, good-paying jobs (just like the ones that are coming to the Memphis Regional Meagasite) instead of the government trying to manage the private sector.
If your state representative or state senator is on either committee, we ask that you please take an extra step and call them at the numbers we've provided by clicking on the blue button above or below. The two pieces of legislation will be heard in the same committees.
We strongly urge ALL of our members to either send an e-mail or make a phone call against these bills over these next several days, especially if you have not done so already.
The bottom line is this: discussions about worker representation should be left up to employers and employees without outside influence from politicians.
Tell your legislator: Stop trying to manage private businesses and employees!
A Brief Look at Some of the Additional Legislation That We're Watching Next Week
-SB 2042/HB 2078: This bill removes the subminimum wage exception for employees who are impaired by age, physical or mental disability, or injury.
-SB 2383/HB 2397: This piece of legislation requires that contracts for the construction, maintenance, etc. of public buildings contain a requirement that the iron and steel used for the project be made in the United States.
-SB 2472/HB 2474: Another good bill, this would enact the "Broadband Resiliency, Public Safety, and Quality Act."
-SB 2073/HB 2097: A piece of legislation that will be watched closely, this seeks to expand the definition of racketeering activity outlined in the "Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization" (RICO) Act.Note: While unions are already included in the original law, we will be monitoring the intent of the legislation, especially given the strong anti-worker mentality amongst many lawmakers.
-SB 2602/HB 2278: As announced recently, this bill calls for a study to be conducted on the possibility of expanding railroad passenger service via Amtrak.
-HB 2733/SB 2879: This piece of legislation requires employers to give their employees who are veterans an unpaid holiday on Veterans Day.
-SB 2538/HB 2598: This bill would require employees whose workplace is represented by a union to pay "fair share fees" if they choose not to belong. Employees, however, cannot be terminated for refusing to pay the fee.
-HB 1274/SB 958: According to this bill, certain employers could submit plans to reduce employee work hours in exchange for access to a specific level of unemployment benefits.
-HB 2569/SB 2440: As reported this week, this piece of legislation seeks to eliminate affirmative action programs from state and local governments.
-HB 2734/SB 2674: According to this bill, employees who are local elected officials must be allowed to leave work to perform their duties without the loss of pay, vacation time, etc.
-HB 2339/SB 2345: This is a good piece of legislation that raises the wages of preferred service employees in the Department of Correction by 15%.
-SB 2766/HB 2829: The complete opposite of what recently passed the House, this bill creates a program that incentivizes first responders to live within the boundaries of a local government.
-SB 2670/HB 2793: This legislation seeks to increase the state's minimum wage to $15 per hour.
-HB 2833/SB 2168: This is the massive bill that seeks to give charter schools more authority and less regulations to operate in Tennessee.
Proving once again how things can change at a moment's notice, this means that House Bill 1856/Senate Bill 1796 is back on notice and will be heard in the House Banking & Consumer Affairs Subcommittee on Wednesday, March 9th at 9:00 a.m. CT. It will also be heard in the Senate Commerce & Labor Committee on Tuesday, March 8th at 1:00 p.m. CT.
This bill would tie the hands of private businesses that may want to locate in Tennessee in the future by making them ineligible to receive state monies or be required to return them if any votes on worker representation are not held by a secret ballot election.
There is also a caption bill (House Bill 2111/SB 2142) that, as should be amended in committee, would accomplish the exact same goal as HB 1856/SB 1796.
As a reminder, this legislation is yet another attempt by anti-worker lawmakers who couldn't resist taking a shot at the longstanding, productive relationship between the UAW and Ford during the October special session to insert themselves into matters that should be left up to businesses and workers.
Click here and ask your lawmakers to vote "NO" on HB 1856/SB 1796 AND HB 2111/SB 2142!
We should be focused on working together to create safe, good-paying jobs (just like the ones that are coming to the Memphis Regional Meagasite) instead of the government trying to manage the private sector.
If your state representative or state senator is on either committee, we ask that you please take an extra step and call them at the numbers we've provided by clicking on the blue button above or below. The two pieces of legislation will be heard in the same committees.
We strongly urge ALL of our members to either send an e-mail or make a phone call against these bills over these next several days, especially if you have not done so already.
The bottom line is this: discussions about worker representation should be left up to employers and employees without outside influence from politicians.
Tell your legislator: Stop trying to manage private businesses and employees!
A Brief Look at Some of the Additional Legislation That We're Watching Next Week
-SB 2042/HB 2078: This bill removes the subminimum wage exception for employees who are impaired by age, physical or mental disability, or injury.
-SB 2383/HB 2397: This piece of legislation requires that contracts for the construction, maintenance, etc. of public buildings contain a requirement that the iron and steel used for the project be made in the United States.
-SB 2472/HB 2474: Another good bill, this would enact the "Broadband Resiliency, Public Safety, and Quality Act."
-SB 2073/HB 2097: A piece of legislation that will be watched closely, this seeks to expand the definition of racketeering activity outlined in the "Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization" (RICO) Act.Note: While unions are already included in the original law, we will be monitoring the intent of the legislation, especially given the strong anti-worker mentality amongst many lawmakers.
-SB 2602/HB 2278: As announced recently, this bill calls for a study to be conducted on the possibility of expanding railroad passenger service via Amtrak.
-HB 2733/SB 2879: This piece of legislation requires employers to give their employees who are veterans an unpaid holiday on Veterans Day.
-SB 2538/HB 2598: This bill would require employees whose workplace is represented by a union to pay "fair share fees" if they choose not to belong. Employees, however, cannot be terminated for refusing to pay the fee.
-HB 1274/SB 958: According to this bill, certain employers could submit plans to reduce employee work hours in exchange for access to a specific level of unemployment benefits.
-HB 2569/SB 2440: As reported this week, this piece of legislation seeks to eliminate affirmative action programs from state and local governments.
-HB 2734/SB 2674: According to this bill, employees who are local elected officials must be allowed to leave work to perform their duties without the loss of pay, vacation time, etc.
-HB 2339/SB 2345: This is a good piece of legislation that raises the wages of preferred service employees in the Department of Correction by 15%.
-SB 2766/HB 2829: The complete opposite of what recently passed the House, this bill creates a program that incentivizes first responders to live within the boundaries of a local government.
-SB 2670/HB 2793: This legislation seeks to increase the state's minimum wage to $15 per hour.
-HB 2833/SB 2168: This is the massive bill that seeks to give charter schools more authority and less regulations to operate in Tennessee.