Mass. Senate Overrides Veto Of Union Dues Bill

Massachusetts has a new law enabling public sector unions to recover costs associated with representing non-members.

The state Senate on Thursday completed a veto override initiated in the House on Wednesday. The House voted 154-1 to turn back Gov. Charlie Baker's veto of the so-called Janus bill; the vote in the Senate was 39-1.

In a statement, National Association of Government Employees President David Holway said the new law would allow his union "and the rest of the public sector to move forward and continue to provide a strong voice for the hard-working families that make our Commonwealth run each day." Holway called the bill's final passage an "important victory."

In a 5-4 ruling in June 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court concluded that non-union workers cannot be forced to pay fees to public sector unions, a decision applauded by free speech advocates.

The ruling was a "bad one for working families," Sen. Eric Lesser has said, adding that Massachusetts lawmakers with their new law are "repairing some of the damage it has done to workers who are just trying to make ends meet."