The news: On Monday, Sen. Brian Lenney (R-Nampa) and Sen. Cindy Carlson (R-Riggins) introduced strict anti-union language into House Bill 516, an unrelated bill.
• Lenney and Carlson used what is colloquially known as a “radiator cap”: They tacked their anti-union amendment onto House Bill 516.
• Lenney and Carlson used the radiator cap because House Bill 745, which already passed the House, has been stalled in committee for weeks.
• Senators had just minutes to review the bill, debate and vote. It passed with a plurality.
• On Tuesday, the Senate rejected a motion — introduced by Sen. Dave Lent (R-Idaho Falls) — to send House Bill 516 back to the Senate Education Committee for a hearing.
What happens next: The amended bill must now be voted on by the full Senate. If it passes, it will also need to pass the House and then be signed by the governor.
How this bill is different: This is a different bill than House Bill 745, which has already passed the House — Lenney and Carlson used the bulk of the language from the original legislation, however.
• It is more explicit than House Bill 745, specifically targeting “teachers unions” by placing it directly in Title 33, the section of the law that deals with education. In essence, the bill prohibits the use of district property, staff time or resources for union activity.
Contact Legislators NOW
Use this form to email legislators and tell them to vote against House Bill 516.
What the bill does: The amended bill contains a long list of prohibited activities.
If passed, union members will no longer be allowed to do the following on school property:
• Distribute IEA recruitment materials
• Recruit during school hours
• Meet about union business including meetings with your district — such as negotiations — without reimbursing the district
• Gather contact information from districts beyond what is federally available
• Seek to become the exclusive representative of all professional employees in a district
• Collect dues through payroll deduction
This Is Why May Matters
Legislators like Brian Lenney and Cindy Carlson — as well as Rep. Judy Boyle, the sponsor of the original anti-IEA bill — will keep pushing to silence your union by any legislative means possible. The only way to stop them is to vote them out of office during the May 19 primary.
The bill will severely limit union power:
• Under the bill, grievances will be considered a “teachers union activity” and restricted.
• IEA members will be prohibited from electoral or legislative advocacy work on school time — in other words, no time off during the school day to testify on bills affecting the union and no attending Delegate Assembly during the school week.
• The bill broadens the definition of “affiliate” to include a “political committee or political organization controlled by a teachers union.” In other words, PACE could be swept into the restrictions.
• An “affiliate” also could include the IEA Children’s Fund and the Center for Teaching and Learning, which means school fundraisers for disadvantaged children and professional development outreach on school grounds would be prohibited.
• Time off for union activities, even if that time has been negotiated and written into a collective bargaining agreement, will not be allowed — even for Delegate Assembly.
Union members and district employees could incur civil penalties:
• Any union member or district employee who violates the law could incur civil penalties. A basic violation will be $250, someone who knowingly violates the law will be $1,500, and a third violation will result in a $2,500 fine.
The best-case scenario: The Senate could fail to pass the bill when it comes up for a vote.
The worst-case scenario: The Senate passes the bill, it heads back to the House and is passed, and the governor signs the bill — most likely by the end of the week.
What IEA is saying: “For years, anti-union legislators have been trying and failing to push through similar legislation,” Parri said. “This is a desperate, last-minute attempt to ram through an unpopular bill during the final days of the legislative session. It is an unbelievable violation of the process and is an indication of the lengths some legislators will go to silence your voices. IEA, the Legislature, and the governor’s office have worked collaboratively for years. This approach bypasses the Idaho way to advance out-of-state interests at the expense of Idaho’s public school teachers and students.”
