Jun. 28, 2018
HARRISBURG – In light of the recent Janus decision put forth by the U.S. Supreme Court, which removes the requirement for non-union members of public unions to pay a fair-share fee, Rep. Jerry Knowles (R-Berks/Carbon/Schuylkill) is eagerly rallying support among his colleagues for related legislation he is sponsoring.
House Bill 1623, a measure Knowles introduced in early 2017, would give public employees the freedom to choose their workplace representation.
“My legislation is about giving public employees the freedom to represent their own interests, have another individual represent them or form a competing union,” Knowles said. “I look at this bill as a win-win; union bosses don’t have to represent ‘free riders,’ and employees have the freedom to decide who will represent them. My bill would have no impact on the private sector.”
Under Pennsylvania’s Public Employee Relation Act, a labor union represents the interests of all employees within a certified bargaining unit, whether they are members of the union or not.
“This bill empowers those talented public employees who wish to negotiate merit pay, free from government interference,” Knowles added. “I see no logical reason why public employees or union bosses could or would object to this proposal.”
For more information about this legislation, or any other legislative topic, contact Knowles’ district office in Tamaqua at 570-668-1240, or in Hamburg at 610-562-3411. Information can also be found online at
RepKnowles.com or
Facebook.com/RepKnowles.
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Krisinda Corbin
717.705.2032
kcorbin@pahousegop.com
RepKnowles.com /
Facebook.com/RepKnowles