Oregonian
September 17th, 2015
The sponsor of a proposed ballot measure aimed at making union dues voluntary for public employees may well drop the initiative after receiving a politically unpalatable ballot title.
Portland attorney Jill Gibson said she is leaning toward abandoning the proposal after the Oregon Supreme Court upheld a ballot description that will make the measure harder to sell to voters.
The measure, which is being closely watched by the state's unions, would end the state law requiring public employees represented by union contracts to pay dues regardless of whether they join. Instead, dues would be voluntary for non-members.
The Supreme Court upheld a ballot title for both versions of a proposed "right to work" measure sponsored by Gibson that focuses heavily on the argument that it allows workers who benefit from union contracts to avoid having to help pay the costs of negotiating those contracts.