(HELENA, Mont.) – Teamsters in the Big Sky State are calling out a state House bill set to receive a hearing later this week that would tamp down on the rights of Montana workers to have freedom over their paychecks and would disrupt the operations of state and local government.

Leaders of Teamsters Local 2 and Teamsters Local 190 said HB 168 would intrude on the voluntary relationship between unions and their members. Contrary to what opponents say, no one is forced to join a union or pay dues. The legislation is just the latest example of anti-union forces intentionally trying to muddy the waters on established labor law.

“This bill is a ruse, plain and simple,” Local 190 Secretary-Treasurer Jim Larson said. “It inserts employers between workers and their union so they can reduce the power that solidarity in the workplace brings. In the end, it’s just an illegal government intrusion on the rights of workers.”

“At a time when many Teamsters and others are working in essential jobs that puts their lives at risk, corporate cronies in Helena are trying to crack down on their workplace freedom,” Local 2 Secretary-Treasurer Erin Foley said. “This attack on Montana’s workers is absolutely despicable.”   

The measure would hit school districts and local and state governments particularly hard because they would force them into unnecessary negotiations. Hardworking frontline workers like nurses, firefighters and teachers deserve to be rewarded, but instead would be forced to endure needless hurdles.

Lawmakers who care about hardworking Montanans should just say no to HB 168!

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