Senate committee passes amended version of SB 538
02/05/2015

 

ACTION: Please continue to write your senators and urge them to vote against this unnecessary bill.

 

The Senate Pensions and Labor Committee met Wednesday to hear SB 538 – Teacher Collective Bargaining. After voting to approve several amendments, the committee voted to approve SB 538 in a close 6-5 vote.

 

While the bill was improved by amendments removing the requirement for every school district in Indiana to hold new elections for exclusive representatives, it still allows other “professional employee organizations” to gain “equal” access to teachers represented by the exclusive representative. This will likely result in districts limiting access to everyone. The bill also lowers from 20 percent to 10 percent the threshold to trigger bargaining unit challenges. The standard in the private sector for this type of thing is 30 percent.

 

The vote passing out of committee was as close demonstrating that it is not partisan. The bill is likely headed to the full Senate floor.

 

ACTION:  Please contact your senator and strongly urge him/her to vote “NO” on SB 538—as it is unnecessary and divisive (union-busting) during a time when all education staff should be focused on improving student learning.

 

Also, please thank Sens. Brent Waltz (R-Greenwood), Greg Walker (R-Columbus), Karen Tallian (D-Portage), Jim Arnold (D-La Porte) and Earline Rogers (D-Gary).