October 3, 2016      6:11 PM
Texas Association of Business withdraws from coalition pushing anti-union measure
TAB, of course, still supports the policy position but distances itself from the NFIB-led effort to ban union dues deduction from government paychecks
The
biggest group representing major employers in the state, the Texas
Association of Business, on Monday confirmed to Quorum Report that it is
no longer part of a coalition pushing to ban the automatic deduction of union
dues from government paychecks.
The
TAB still supports the policy position, of course, but the powerful trade
association is now distancing itself from an alliance of other business groups
called the Texas Business Coalition. That coalition, chaired by Houston
janitorial executive Brent Southwell,
includes the National Federation of Independent Business, Texas
Retailers, the Building Owners and Managers Association,
the Associated
Builders and Contractors of Texas, and others.
“The
TAB will work independently of the Texas Business Coalition to support
legislation that disallows the collection of such dues,” said Cathy DeWitt, TAB’s Vice President of Governmental
Affairs. When asked why TAB was leaving the NFIB-led group, DeWitt said “We
didn’t feel we needed to be a part of the coalition to support the issue.”
TAB’s
decision comes after the Texas State Association of Fire Fighters pointed
out during a
Senate
hearing that Tim Dunn’s
group Empower Texans has been campaigning on the issue of union dues
deductions. During the hearing, business leaders winced when Dunn’s group was
mentioned.
By Scott Braddock
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