Teamsters Local 391 just learned that in the dark of the night early this morning leaders of the NC House of Representatives called a secretive session that advanced a new law to prohibit public school employees from having the option to have their dues money deducted from their paychecks. This move is designed to discourage Teamsters and other associations’ from battling the Republican’s moves to cut funding for schools and to not give our members pay increases. We will fight this illegal action and will not allow them to discriminate against school employees!

The House vote at 12:45 AM this morning (Thursday, January 5), which follows an earlier Senate vote, overturned Governor Perdue’s veto of the law this past summer.

The theory behind the Republican House leaders’ action is that if school employees cannot conveniently pay their union dues this will eliminate our union’s ability to fight during the upcoming, tough budget negotiations. They are wrong!

The Teamsters union is currently working with the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) to fight the new law legally. We are fully committed to overcoming this challenge and to making sure that our members will continue to have the same rights as all other state employees. Classified school employees will always have a strong voice and representation with the Teamsters union.

Circumstances are moving quickly and we are carefully analyzing our legal options. Local 391 will keep the membership updated as information unfolds.