Republican lawmakers on Monday introduced labor reform legislation that would restrict how unions spend campaign money and afford union members more options to walk away from their organization if their interests are no longer represented.
The Employee Rights Act, introduced by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., would prohibit a union from using a worker's membership dues for any purpose other than collective bargaining, in the absence of prior consent from the worker.
"I believe workers should have the right to join a union. But I think they should have the right not to join a union as well," said Hatch.
Union members would also have more say as to which political organizations the union donates to. Hatch and Price say that even though 40 percent of union members are Republican, unions are taking advantage of members by sending their membership dues to Democratic candidates whether or not the member supports the candidate, according to Fox News.
"Forty percent of the union members are Republicans, yet virtually 100 percent of money that they've raised, and it's considerable money, goes to elect Democrats," Hatch told Fox News.
If the legislation passes, union members would be able to tell their bosses they do not want their money going to certain candidates. As members sometimes face retaliation for speaking out, the new legislation would also make the use of threats or force a federal crime, according to the Washington Examiner.
It would also work to stop intimidation tactics by requiring all elections to have secret ballots and require that a union win a majority of all workers, rather than just a majority of those who voted.
"What this legislation is intended to do is simply allow workers the freedom of association. To be very clear, this does not outlaw unions or make it more difficult to join one. This legislation would give very basic workers' rights to individuals who wish to preserve a more autonomous relationship with their employer," said Price, the lead author of the House version.
The measure could have a substantial impact on the Democratic Party in the upcoming 2016 election. According to the Center for Union Facts, unions contributed nearly $90 million to the Democratic Party and supporting organizations in 2012.
Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha accused Republicans of attempting to re-route campaign contributions.
"Democrats have been supported for years by working people and the unions, and that's why Republicans want to bring this up," Rocha said, according to Fox. "They want to take that money out -the only real money left on the left side. There's a few big left donors, but we don't have a Sheldon Adelson."
