House committee OKs anti-union bill to strip dues deduction

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — An anti-union bill approved by a House committee Thursday sets the stage for a high-profile legislative fight between business and organized labor, even as many lawmakers have said they'd rather focus on the state's $1.6 billion budget shortfall.

The vote split mostly along party lines, with one independent joining Republicans to support the bill on a 9-6 vote. Democrats were united in opposition to the bill, which would bar unions from automatically collecting dues from the paychecks of firefighters, police officers and teachers.

"We're gonna publicize the hell out of this," said Steve Monaghan, president of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers. Other labor leaders threatened to target lawmakers during elections next fall.

Debate in the House labor committee followed the contours of a broader national battle between business and labor — even though Louisiana is a right-to-work state where workers can opt out of unions.

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