This “Bad Bill of the Week” is a piece of legislation that will fundamentally change North Carolina government at the state and local levels for the worse. It will cost the state tens of millions of dollars to implement and significantly increase costs annually, forcing tax increases. It will take decision -making ability away from elected officials and voters and give it to union bosses, lawyers and federal mediators. It will also end any hope of merit pay for outstanding teachers and state employees.
House Bill 750, sponsored by Rep. Dan Blue (D-Wake), Rep. Rick Glazier (D-Cumberland), Rep. Lorene Coates (D-Rowan) and Rep. Ty Harrell (D-Wake) would repeal North Carolina’s ban on collective bargaining for state employees.
The labor union for state employees (SEIU) has calculated it will cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars to implement. And, that’s not counting the need for the state to hire teams of labor lawyers to negotiate labor contracts with multiple labor unions, which will swoop in to collect union dues from the state’s 275,000 person workforce.
Every city and town in North Carolina will be affected as municipal workers and local teachers join labor unions and attempt to negotiate contracts. Every town and school system in North Carolina will need to hire labor lawyers.
North Carolina has prided itself on being thought of as a low-tax state, and a place people want to move in order to escape union-run schools and government, along with the accompanying high taxes that are found in the Northeast and Midwest. Why would we want to adopt legislation that would make us just like the places from which people are fleeing?
For more, read my piece on why public employee collective bargaining is bad policy for North Carolina.
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