BE THE MEDIA GUIDE - PAYCHECK DECEPTION

Transcription

1 PAYCHECK DECEPTION Paid for by the Democratic Party of York Not authorized by any candidate or candidate s committee. info@yorkdems.org

2 About Paycheck Protection Paycheck protection. Sounds like a good thing, right? Wrong. Paycheck protection, or as union members and progressive activists call it "paycheck deception" is the name for a policy that would end the practice of automatic dues deduction from public sector unions. Proponents of this legislation, both inside and outside the Capitol, say that this is because public sector unions use membership dues money in partisan political politics. They further claim that public sector unions use taxpayer money (the cost of processing dues) to exert undue influence in partisan politics. They say that this is an ethical issue. Further, some state that the cost of dues deduction is onerous at the county level and costs taxpayers too much money. This legislative session: Two paycheck deception bills, SB 500 and SB 501, have been filed in the 2015 legislative session. SB 500, sponsored by Senator Scott Wagner (R-28) would eliminate dues deduction for school employees. SB 501, filed by Senator John Eichelberger (R-30) would do the same for State employees. Here's why that's wrong: First, public sector unions cannot use membership dues money for partisan politics by law. Their books are open to the public. Unions can use voluntary contributions made to a separate political fund, known as COPE, to express themselves politically. And in the case of public sector unions, they must. Regulations found in the Governor's Code of Conduct, the Pennsylvania Civil Service Commission Guidelines on Political Activity and the federal Hatch Act, (collectively commonly known as "Hatch"), severely limits the overwhelming majority of public sector employees from involvement in partisan political activity. The union is not only their voice in the workplace; it is their voice in politics as well. Further, these bills unfairly single out unions. They do not address other organizations who collect donation or payments from public sector workers. These organizations, such as healthcare and insurance companies, exercise their right to political speech by using money collected for, among other things, political contributions. And let's look at the cost to taxpayers. A report from the State Treasurer's office in 2014 stated the annual cost of all public sector union membership and COPE dues deduction to the Commonwealth for all public sector unions in Pennsylvania was less than $100 total. Imagine if we calculated the exact cost of the taxpayer-funded time and resources House and Senate members have spent trying to push this legislation and added it up, do you think it would be more or less than $ a year? Bottom line: Paycheck deception is union-busting plain and simple. It s model legislation pushed by extreme right-wing think tanks like the American Legislative Exchange Council across the country, not just in Pennsylvania. You can visit their website and see for yourself. Paycheck deception is the first step in making Pennsylvania a Right-to-Work (RTW) state. A recent Economic Policy Institute study illustrated that workers in RTW states have net wages that are 3.1% lower. i Page 2 of 7

3 Talking points on Paycheck Deception This legislation is unnecessary and unfair. Out-of-state special interests want to single out nurses, teachers, and social workers to silence their voices. It's a giant overstep of government into the private decisions of many workers. Out-of-state billionaires and corporate special interests are promoting these anti-worker proposals across the country. They want to silence teachers, nurses, social workers, snowplow drivers, and other public workers from advocating for those they service. All Pennsylvanians should have their voices heard. This legislation is being used as political-retaliation against regular workers and will tilt the balance of power in Harrisburg further in favor of special interests. We all know big corporations already have too much control over government. We must stop wasting time and tax dollars on this scheme and start focusing on the real problems in Pennsylvania like investing in education and finally making Marcellus Shale drillers pay their fair share. The accusations of the out-of-state billionaires and corporate special interests don t add up. This legislation takes away the freedom of teachers, nurses, social workers and other public employees from having the choice to have voluntary deductions made to the paychecks they've earned. Workers voluntarily sign up for payroll deductions. They aren t forced to do it, and this bill restricts their freedom to make that choice. Silencing workers won't save tax dollars. Payroll deductions cost virtually nothing because their made automatically by computers and routine. It's the same process nearly all workers use to make direct despots to big banks, pay insurance premiums, invest in retirement accounts, or contribute to charities. This legislation ignores those minimal costs, as well as how those powerful special interests use the money for political purposes. It's reprehensive that some politicians would try to compare a worker's common payroll deduction to the illegal scheme in the Legislature that used millions of tax dollars to buy computers and databases for their political campaigns. Of all people, the politicians in Harrisburg should know better. This is really about extreme politicians and corporate special interests trying to grab more power over working families so they can protect their big business tax breaks. The two main backers of this legislation are the Commonwealth Foundation and ALEC, two right-wing special interest groups that refuse to identify their wealthy funders. These same special interests groups have funded efforts to privatize Social Security and Medicare and oppose an increase in the minimum wage. Page 3 of 7

4 Tips on Writing Letters to the Editor on Paycheck Deception 1. Keep it short keep the letter to about 200 total words which is about five short sentences. 2. Make it timely The sooner you submit your letter after an article about paycheck deception is published the more likely the newspaper is to print it. 3. Don t be overly negative most newspapers will not print harsh attacks. 4. Talk about how public workers help your community. In one or two sentences describe what they do and how the entire community benefits. Describe how weakening their service weakens your community. 5. Avoid union jargon like Right to Work, Paycheck Protection, Paycheck Deception, union busting, collective bargaining or other terms the average person will not understand. 6. Try to avoid how the bill harms the labor movement or unions specifically. We want readers to understand this bill is bad for schools, hospitals, social services, and entire communities. Basic format of your letter Write a short title or heading in the same style the newspaper using for all letters. The editors will likely change it, but your version may influence them. Start with an opening sentence that refers to the original article or news item. o Example 1: After reading the article (insert the headline) I felt that I must respond. If you are a public worker, use your story to connect to the article, and why you have credibility. o Example 1: As a nurse for 10 years I have fought for safe staffing levels so patients get the quality care they deserve. o Example 2: For the last five years I ve worked in the Dauphin County Children and Youth Office helping to ensure vulnerable kids are protected. Explain why you oppose paycheck deception. - Use phrases like: o The bill unfairly singles out and silences nurses, teachers, social workers, school bus drivers, public safety officers and others. o It would severely limit the ability of (insert your profession) and other public employees to speaking with a collective voice in favor of policies and changes that would make our communities safer and improve the lives of many families. o Out-of-state special interests are pushing this type of law in Pennsylvania. Instead of allowing these outside influences to silence our voices we should end this distraction. o Our leaders should be focused on the real problems in our community like education and creating jobs. SPECIAL NOTE: Avoid talking about specifics in the bill. If you must, mention that automated payroll deductions are common and are used for health insurance companies and the United Way. Computers do the work so there is virtually no cost. Show the letter to a few other people to get feedback. Submit the letter to the editor through your personal account. Page 4 of 7

5 Local Newspapers York Daily Record/ Sunday News York Daily Record/Sunday News 1891 Loucks Road York PA Hanover Evening Sun 135 Baltimore Street P.O. Box 514 Hanover, PA York Dispatch 1891 Loucks Road York PA The Patriot News 2020 Technology Parkway Suite 300 Mechanicsburg, PA Sample Letter to the Editor To the Editor, In response to your article, (article title), (Date), paycheck deception is a step backwards for the middle class of Pennsylvania. The deduction of membership dues from payroll checks has been automated for quite some time. The cost to the Commonwealth is negligible. And if it were a substantial cost, then one would think that the legislation would target all forms of payroll deduction, including funds deducted for charitable contributions. Since the legislation does not address all forms of payroll deduction, nor does it contain a provision for the unions footing the bill, it is clear that this legislation is only intended to weaken Pennsylvania s unions. And without the Labor movement on the frontlines of the fight for worker rights, the working families will suffer greatly. Sincerely, (Your signature) (Your name) Page 5 of 7

6 Tips on Writing a Letter to Your Legislator Things to keep in mind: Identify yourself as a constituent of their District Identify why you are writing and what the issue is in a sentence or two. Be brief and to the point. Try to keep the letter to one page if possible. Write the letter in your own voice, not in the appearance of a form letter. Personalize the letter with a relevant story or example from your life. Give specific reasons of why they should support your position. Again, keep it concise. Ground your argument in facts. Where possible, reference research that may have appeared in the media, or been conducted by a think tank. Handwritten letters are best. Taking the time to do so, shows that you care a lot about your position, and presumably have written something original (rather than copied from a template). Sample Letter to Your Legislator Date (Your Name) (Your Address) Dear Representative/Senator: Please oppose so-called paycheck protection legislation, and any other attempts to diminish the voice of Pennsylvania s middle class. These controversial proposals are part of a manufactured crisis propped up by a handful of extremist, wealthy individuals feigning the need to protect teachers, firefighters, nurses, and others. In reality, they are seeking to silence the collective voice of individuals providing critical services to Pennsylvanians. Like me, millions of Pennsylvanians that support workers understand that these politically motivated bills are a distraction from what really matters. Please, I urge you to focus instead on solutions for the Commonwealth that support hardworking families, and improve our local communities rather than wrong-headed policies that intend to silence voices like mine and remove balance in the democratic process. Sincerely, (Your signature) (Your name) Page 6 of 7

7 Local Legislators Governor Tom Wolf 225 Main Capitol Building Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Phone: (717) State Senator Scott Wagner 218 North George Street York, PA Ph: State Senator Richard Alloway 187 Main Capitol Harrisburg, PA Phone: State Representative Keith Gillespie 4188 Lincoln Highway York, PA Phone: (717) State Representative Seth Grove 1550-C Kenneth Road York, PA Phone: (717) State Representative Kate Klunk 118 Carlisle Street Hanover, PA (717) State Senator Patricia Vance 3806 Market Street Camp Hill, PA Phone: (717) State Senator Mike Folmer 337 Main Capitol Harrisburg, PA Phone: State Representative Mike Regan 1 E. Harrisburg St. Dillsburg, PA Phone:(717) mregan@pahousegop.com State Representative Stan Saylor 15 South Main St. (2nd Floor) Red Lion, PA Phone: (717) ssaylor@pahousegop.com State Representative Kristen Hill 6872 Susquehanna Trail South Jacobus, PA Phone: (717) khill@pahousegop.com State Representative Kevin Schreiber York City Government Services Building 101 South George Street York, PA Phone: (717) kschreiber@pahouse.net i Gould, Elise and Will Kimball, Right-to-Work States Still Have Lower Wages, Economic Policy Institute, April 22, 2015 Page 7 of 7