Public funds should be used to provide essential services and not to subsidize the activities of government unions. This is why taxpayers across the country have raised concerns about using public funds to support union activities, such as payroll deductions for union dues, paid release time for union activities, and the use of public resources to advocate for union policies.
We previously noted the use of taxpayer subsidies for teacher unions in Idaho. The article highlighted how money is sent from Idaho school districts to unions like the Idaho Education Association (IEA) and its national affiliate, the National Education Association (NEA). A good portion of this funding proceeds to political lobbying and activities that do not reflect the values of all taxpayers. Union activities should be paid for by union dues, not taxpayers. These same principles apply throughout the Mountain States region.
Montana’s Senate Bill 94 (SB94) aims to avoid these issues. The bill, as written, would prohibit public employers from compensating their employees for doing union work on the clock. It would allow employees to use unpaid leave or their personal PTO for union work, and would allow employees to continue performing union functions during the workday so long as the union reimbursed the public employer for the employees’ lost time. These measures are intended to ensure public resources go only toward providing public services, underscoring fiscal accountability…