Provides relative to dues or fees for teachers and other school employees. (8/1/26)

Senate Bill 312 amends and creates several provisions of Louisiana's labor law to regulate payroll deductions for labor organization dues and fees paid by public employees, particularly teachers and school employees. The bill amends R.S. 23:982 and R.S. 42:457, enacts new provisions in R.S. 17:438(E) through (H), and creates three new statutes at R.S. 23:983.1 through 983.3. The legislation establishes a mechanism allowing employees to immediately cease dues withholding through written or electronic request, requires employers to notify labor organizations of such requests, mandates annual renewal of any authorization for deductions, and imposes restrictions on the use of union dues for political activities. The bill prohibits employers from deducting wages for union political expenditures while allowing employees to make personal voluntary contributions to political funds that meet specified requirements, including clear disclosure that contributions are voluntary and segregation of political funds from regular union dues.

The practical impact of this legislation affects teachers and other school employees employed by parish and city school boards, as well as state, parish, and city government employees. These workers now possess an unconditional right to withdraw from dues deduction at any time without facing wage forfeiture or adverse employment action. School boards and government agencies must provide annual written or email notice to employees informing them of their right to cease dues payments and must confirm authorizations through employer-provided email before initiating any deductions. Labor organizations bear the responsibility for all administrative costs associated with collecting dues and processing opt-outs. Law enforcement officers and firefighters are specifically exempted from these provisions, meaning existing arrangements for their dues withholding remain unchanged. Employers must use authorization forms prescribed by the attorney general containing specific First Amendment language in fourteen-point boldface font, and any authorization expires after one year unless renewed or automatically becomes invalid if dues amounts increase.

This legislation operates within Louisiana's existing statutory framework governing labor organizations and public sector employment. R.S. 23:982 defines labor organizations to exclude those governed by the National Labor Relations Act and Railway Labor Act, distinguishing Louisiana's public sector unions from federally regulated private sector unions. The bill creates new statutory prohibitions aligned with principles established in cases concerning union security agreements and compelled speech, particularly restricting employer-collected dues for political purposes while preserving employees' voluntary personal contributions. The authorization and renewal requirements establish new procedures affecting how collective bargaining agreements operate prospectively, applying only to agreements entered into or modified after enactment on August 1, 2026. The legislation also references R.S. 18:1481 and the state campaign finance law, creating coordination between labor organization political spending and existing campaign finance reporting and contribution requirements. These provisions interact with established public employment law in Louisiana while creating new constitutional safeguards regarding employee association rights and speech.