1.1 A bill for an act
1.2 relating to labor; allowing union members who are teachers to allocate union dues
1.3 to the local, state, or national organization of their choice; requiring that public
1.4 employees who are teachers be notified of their rights under state and federal law;
1.5 amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, sections 10A.12, subdivision 5; 179A.06,
1.6 subdivision 6; 181.06, subdivision 2.
1.7BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
1.8 Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 10A.12, subdivision 5, is amended to read:
1.9 Subd. 5.Dues or membership fees.(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b), an
1.10association may, if not prohibited by other law, deposit in its political fund money derived
1.11from dues or membership fees. Under section 10A.20, the treasurer of the fund must disclose
1.12the name of any member whose dues, membership fees, and contributions deposited in the
1.13political fund together exceed $200 in a year.
1.14 (b) A private employee who is a teacher, as defined under section 179A.03, subdivision
1.1518, who joins a union may elect to allocate all or a portion of their union dues or membership
1.16fees to the local, state, or national organization of their choice. An exclusive representative
1.17of the organization must provide union members notice of this option, and any dues deduction
1.18authorization must clearly provide members who are teachers this choice. In the absence
1.19of an exclusive representative, a private union member who is a teacher has the right to
1.20request and be allowed a payroll deduction for the local, state, or national organization of
1.21their choice.
1Section 1.
REVISOR VH/HL 25-0442603/13/25
State of Minnesota
This Document can be made available
in alternative formats upon request
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
H. F. No. 2896
NINETY-FOURTH SESSION
Authored by Bakeberg03/27/2025
The bill was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy 2.1 Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 179A.06, subdivision 6, is amended to read:
2.2 Subd. 6.Payroll deduction, authorization, and remittance.(a) A public employee
2.3may request payroll deduction for the exclusive representative that represents the employee's
2.4position and its associated political fund under section 10A.12, or, if the employee is a
2.5teacher, as defined under section 179A.03, subdivision 18, to allocate all or a portion of
2.6their union dues or membership fees to the local, state, or national organization of their
2.7choice, as provided in paragraph (h). If no exclusive representative represents an employee's
2.8position, the public employee may request payroll deduction for the organization of the
2.9employee's choice. A public employer must provide payroll deduction according to any
2.10public employee's request under this paragraph.
2.11 (b) A public employer must rely on a certification from an exclusive representative
2.12requesting remittance of a deduction that the organization has and will maintain an
2.13authorization signed, either by hand or electronically according to section 325L.02, paragraph
2.14(h), by the public employee from whose salary or wages the deduction is to be made. An
2.15exclusive representative making a certification is not required to provide the public employer
2.16a copy of the authorization unless a dispute arises about the authorization's existence or
2.17terms.
2.18 (c) A payroll deduction authorization is effective until the exclusive representative
2.19notifies the employer that a public employee has changed or canceled the employee's
2.20authorization in writing in accordance with the terms of the original authorization. When
2.21determining whether deductions have been properly changed or canceled, a public employer
2.22must rely on information from the exclusive representative receiving remittance of the
2.23deduction.
2.24 (d) Deduction authorization under this section is:
2.25 (1) independent from the public employee's membership status in the organization to
2.26which payment is remitted; and
2.27 (2) effective regardless of whether a collective bargaining agreement authorizes the
2.28deduction.
2.29 (e) An employer must:
2.30 (1) begin deductions within 30 days after an exclusive representative submits a
2.31certification under paragraph (b); and
2.32 (2) remit the deductions to the exclusive representative, or, for employees who are
2.33teachers, to the organization of the public employee's choice, within 30 days of the deduction.
2Sec. 2.
REVISOR VH/HL 25-0442603/13/25 3.1 (f) An exclusive representative must indemnify a public employer:
3.2 (1) for any successful employee claim for unauthorized employer deductions made by
3.3relying on an exclusive representative's certification under paragraph (b); and
3.4 (2) for any successful employee claim for unauthorized employer deductions made by
3.5relying on information for changing or canceling deductions under paragraph (c), with
3.6indemnification including any reasonable attorney fees and litigation costs.
3.7 (g) Any dispute under this subdivision must be resolved through an unfair labor practice
3.8proceeding under section 179A.13. It is an unfair labor practice if an employer fails to
3.9comply with paragraph (e), and the employer must reimburse deductions that should have
3.10been made or remitted based on a valid authorization given by the employee or employees.
3.11 (h) The exclusive representative shall inform public employees who are teachers of the
3.12option to allocate their union dues or membership fees to the local, state, or national
3.13organization of their choice. Any dues deduction authorization must clearly provide public
3.14employees who are teachers this choice.
3.15 (i) The exclusive representative shall inform public employees who are teachers that
3.16federal law prohibits them from being compelled to join a union or pay dues or fees to a
3.17union. Any dues deduction authorization must clearly provide public employees who are
3.18teachers with this notice.
3.19 Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 181.06, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
3.20 Subd. 2.Payroll deductions.A written contract may be entered into between an employer
3.21and an employee wherein the employee authorizes the employer to make payroll deductions
3.22for the purpose of paying union dues, premiums of any life insurance, hospitalization and
3.23surgical insurance, group accident and health insurance, group term life insurance, group
3.24annuities or contributions to credit unions or a community chest fund, a local arts council,
3.25a local science council or a local arts and science council, or Minnesota benefit association,
3.26a federally or state registered political action committee, membership dues of a relief
3.27association governed by sections 424A.091 to 424A.096 or Laws 2013, chapter 111, article
3.285, sections 31 to 42, contributions to a nonprofit organization that is tax exempt under section
3.29501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code, or participation in any employee stock purchase plan
3.30or savings plan for periods longer than 60 days, including gopher state bonds established
3.31under section 16A.645. A private sector employer must make payroll deductions to a nonlabor
3.32organization under this subdivision when requested by five or more employees, or, if the
3.33employee is a teacher, as defined under section 179A.03, subdivision 18, to the labor
3Sec. 3.
REVISOR VH/HL 25-0442603/13/25 4.1organization of the private employee's choosing, as provided in section 10A.12, subdivision
4.25.
4Sec. 3.
REVISOR VH/HL 25-0442603/13/25