SENATE FILE 217

BY  FEENSTRA

A BILL FOR

An Act prohibiting public employers from deducting membership dues for employment organizations from wages or salaries of public employees receiving health care benefits and prohibiting state employees from electing or renewing such deductions and including applicability provisions.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

   Section 1.  Section 20.9, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2011, is amended to read as follows:
   The public employer and the employee organization shall meet at reasonable times, including meetings reasonably in advance of the public employer’s budget-making process, to negotiate in good faith with respect to wages, hours, vacations, insurance, holidays, leaves of absence, shift differentials, overtime compensation, supplemental pay, seniority, transfer procedures, job classifications, health and safety matters, evaluation procedures, procedures for staff reduction, in-service training and other matters mutually agreed upon. Negotiations shall also include terms authorizing dues checkoff for members of the employee organization, other than members receiving health care benefits from the public employer, and grievance procedures for resolving any questions arising under the agreement, which shall be embodied in a written agreement and signed by the parties. If an agreement provides for dues checkoff, a member’s dues may be checked off only upon the member’s written request and the member may terminate the dues checkoff at any time by giving thirty days’ written notice. Such obligation to negotiate in good faith does not compel either party to agree to a proposal or make a concession.
   Sec. 2.  NEW SECTION.  20.32  Payroll deduction for dues of members receiving health care benefits prohibited.
   A public employer shall not deduct from a public employee’s wages or salary membership dues for any employee organization if the public employee receives health care benefits from the public employer.
   Sec. 3.  NEW SECTION.  70A.19A  Payroll deduction for dues of union members receiving health care benefits prohibited.
   A state employee who is a member of an employee organization and who receives health care benefits from the state employee’s employer shall not elect or renew a payroll deduction for membership dues for an employee organization.
   Sec. 4.  APPLICABILITY.  The sections of this Act amending section 20.9 and enacting section 20.32 apply to collective bargaining agreements entered into on or after the effective date of this Act.
EXPLANATION
   This bill prohibits a public employer from deducting membership dues for any employee organization from a public employee’s wages or salaries if the public employee receives health care benefits from the public employer. The bill excludes such deductions from the scope of negotiations for a public employee collective bargaining agreement.
   The bill prohibits a state employee who is member of an employee organization and who receives health care benefits from the employee’s employer from electing or renewing a payroll deduction for membership dues for an employee organization.
   The provisions of the bill amending Code chapter 20 apply to collective bargaining agreements entered into on or after the effective date of the bill.