Berman Asks AG For Opinion On Teacher’s Union Payroll Deductions

State Rep. Leo Berman (R-Tyler) is at it again. This time, he’s raising hell with teacher’s unions, claiming that their payroll deductions (allowed, mind you, by the Texas Legislature, are unlawful. From Berman’s hometown paper:

State Rep. Leo Berman has requested an attorney general’s opinion on whether it’s lawful for teachers unions to use payroll deductions to fund political campaigns.

The Tyler Republican and chairman of the House Elections Committee says it’s a direct challenge to the Texas State Teachers Association Political Action Committee, which tends to contribute to more Democrats than Republicans.

The payroll deductions are voluntary, but Berman says it takes state time and resources to administrate the deduction system – and that’s what he objects to.

“The Democrats have raised a lot of their money through the teachers’ unions,” Berman says. “So through using the payroll deduction process, they’re using state funds, state equipment and state time to raise political money. That doesn’t fit with Texas state law.”

It’s pretty clear that Berman’s request was more politically motivated than anything related to his duties as Chair of the House Elections Committee.

Typical with most idiocy that springs from Berman’s office, he gets quickly put in his place. Here is what TSTA’s Richard Kouri had to say about Berman’s idiocy:

“This was debated when the payroll deduction bill was passed,” Kouri said. “I think the legislative intent was clear, that adults can decide how to spend their money. And that the deduction system set up for things like the United Way and insurance and other things can be used for this purpose, too. Perhaps (Berman) doesn’t have as much legislative history as I do.”

Berman probably just wasn’t paying attention. Maybe he was trying to get another legislator to punch him over an insurance bill or in the back hall with James Leininger.

The kicker with the teacher’s unions–and what AG Greg Abbott may use to continue his union-busting tactics–is that they aren’t unions in the strictest sense of the word. Since it is against Texas’ public policy for school districts to collectively bargain with teachers, TSTA isn’t exactly the same as unions like CWA or IBEW. As such, their dues collection is probably a bit different and, since it isn’t a union in the strictest sense of the word, funds things differently than traditional union dues.

The fraction of an individual’s dues that may go to political action is a very stupid reason for Berman to jump all over TSTA. Of course, the real reason is because Berman doesn’t like the fact that TSTA doesn’t like him and his right-wing GOP colleagues who want to destroy public education in Texas.

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