Public funds should be used to provide essential services and not to subsidize the activities of government unions. This is why taxpayers across the country have raised concerns about using public funds to support union activities, such as payroll deductions for union dues, paid release time for union activities, and the use of public resources to advocate for union policies.
We previously noted the use of taxpayer subsidies for teacher unions in Idaho. The article highlighted how money is sent from Idaho school districts to unions like the Idaho Education Association (IEA) and its national affiliate, the National Education Association (NEA). A good portion of this funding proceeds to political lobbying and activities that do not reflect the values of all taxpayers. Union activities should be paid for by union dues, not taxpayers. These same principles apply throughout the Mountain States region.
Montana’s Senate Bill 94 (SB94) aims to avoid these issues. The bill, as written, would prohibit public employers from compensating their employees for doing union work on the clock. It would allow employees to use unpaid leave or their personal PTO for union work, and would allow employees to continue performing union functions during the workday so long as the union reimbursed the public employer for the employees’ lost time. These measures are intended to ensure public resources go only toward providing public services, underscoring fiscal accountability.
Another reform to consider would be ending automatic payroll reductions for government union dues. In 2023, Arkansas enacted Senate Bill 473, which makes it unlawful for a school district to deduct dues, fees, or contributions from the paycheck of any teacher or classified employee on behalf of any professional or labor organization. Florida also passed Senate Bill 256, which, among other things, prohibits school districts from automatically taking union dues out of public employees’ paychecks (including teachers’).
Idaho public opinion data suggests that reforms of this nature would be well received. Data shows that 66% of Idaho voters are in favor of bans preventing public schools from deducting union dues on behalf of teachers’ unions, and 54% support a ban on taxpayer-funded spending on behalf of the teacher union, according to the poll conducted by the National Freedom Foundation. The results indicate that over half of voters want the government to provide money only for educational purposes and not to subsidize union actions.
Reforms like Montana SB94 can help cement more accountability. This framework restores power to public employees because it allows professionals to have more control over union membership, protects taxpayers because it directs public funds toward public services, and encourages competition because it places the policy and representation of alternative approaches on equal footing.
One of the key focus areas of these reforms is accountability when it comes to using taxpayer dollars toward government union activities. Montana’s SB94, along with similar measures in other states, are pivotal steps in ensuring public resources contribute to actual services instead of union political objectives
