PUBLIC EMPLOYEE UNION DUES. RESTRICTIONS ON POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS. EMPLOYEE CONSENT REQUIREMENT. INITIATIVE STATUTE.75PROPOSITIONOffi cial Title and Summary 18 Title and SummaryPrepared by the Attorney General P E U D. R o P C. E C R. I S.• Prohibits the use by public employee labor organizations of public employee dues or fees for political contributions except with the prior consent of individual public employees each year on a specifi ed written form.• Restriction does not apply to dues or fees collected for charitable organizations, health care insurance, or other purposes directly benefi tting the public employee.• Requires public employee labor organizations to maintain and submit records to Fair Political Practices Commission concerning individual public employees’ and organizations’ political contributions. • These records are not subject to public disclosure.Summary of Legislative Analyst’s Estimate of Net State and Local Government Fiscal Impact:• Probably minor state and local government implementation costs, potentially offset in part by revenues from fi nes and/or fees.ANALYSIS BY THE LEGISLATIVE ANALYST Public Employee Union Dues. Restrictions on Political Contributions. Employee Consent Requirement. Initiative Statute.75PROPOSITIONFor text of Proposition 75 see page 59.Analysis 19BackgroundUnions for Government Employees. Groups of government employees—like employees in the private sector—can choose to have a union represent them in negotiations with their employers over salaries, benefi ts, and other conditions of employment. Individual government employees may choose whether or not to join the union that represents their group of employees. A union’s negotiations affect all employees in the group—both members and nonmembers of the union. As a result, members of the group—whether they join a union or not—typically pay a certain level of dues and/or fees to a union for these bargaining and representation services. Use of Union Dues or Fees for Political Purposes. A union of government employees may engage in other types of activities unrelated to bargaining and representation. For instance, public employee unions may decide to charge additional dues for various political purposes, including supporting and opposing political candidates and issues. Any fees collected from a nonmember of a union cannot be used for these types of political purposes if the nonmember objects. Each year, unions must publicly report what share of their expenditures was for political purposes. ProposalThis measure amends state statutes to require public employee unions to get annual, written consent from a government employee in order to charge and use that employee’s dues or fees for political purposes. This requirement would apply to both members and nonmembers of a union. The measure would also require unions to keep certain records, including copies of any consent forms.Fiscal EffectsThe state and local governments could experience some increased costs to implement and enforce the consent requirements of the measure. The amount of these costs is probably minor. Some of these costs could be partially offset by increased fi nes for not complying with the measure’s provisions and/or fees charged by government agencies to cover the costs of processing payroll deductions for union dues and fees.75PROPOSITIONPublic Employee Union Dues. Restrictions on Political Contributions. Employee Consent Requirement. Initiative Statute.Argument in Favor of Proposition 75Arguments printed on this page are the opinions of the authors and have not been checked for accuracy by any offi cial agency.20 ArgumentsPROPOSITION 75 PROTECTS PUBLIC EMPLOYEES FROM HAVING POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS TAKEN AND USED WITHOUT THEIR PERMISSION.There’s a FUNDAMENTAL UNFAIRNESS IN CALIFORNIA:• Hundreds of thousands of public employee union members are forced to contribute their hard earned money to political candidates or issues they may oppose.• Powerful and politically connected union leaders—a small handful of people—can make unilateral decisions with these “forced contributions” to fund political campaigns without their members’ consent. The workers have no choice—money is automatically deducted from their dues.Firefi ghters, police offi cers, teachers, and other public employees work hard for the people of California and we owe them a huge debt for the work they do on our behalf. That’s why it’s only fair that public employees give their permission before their hard earned dollars are taken and given to politicians and political campaigns.Many public employee union members don’t support the political agenda of the union bosses and it’s not right that they are forced to contribute to political candidates and campaigns they oppose:• Campaign fi nance records document that several public employee unions have spent more than $2 million to qualify a ballot measure that would raise property taxes by billions of dollars—rolling back Proposition 13 protections.• Many members of these unions may oppose this, but the union leaders just take the money and spend it even though individual union members may disagree.That’s not right and it’s not fair.HERE’S WHAT ACTUAL UNION MEMBERS SAY:“I’ve been a public school teacher for 20 years. I joined the union when I started teaching because of the benefi ts it provided and I’ve always been a proud member. However, despite the many good things the union does, it . . . contribute[s] a portion of my dues to political . . . campaigns I often disagree with. That’s simply unfair. I want to be a member of the teachers union, but I don’t want to be forced to contribute my money to the union leaders’ political agenda.” Diane Lenning, Huntington Beach“I’m a member of the largest state employee union. I believe in the union and what it does. It supports me in many ways, but I don’t need it spending a portion of my dues for political purposes. If I want to make a political contribution to a candidate it should be voluntary, not mandatory.” Jim Prunty, GlendoraPROPOSITION 75—IT’S COMMON SENSE.Here’s what it’ll do:• Give public