Soon to be illegal in Georgia?
(Laura Clawson)
Wednesday was the last day for the Georgia legislature to have passed bills through the Senate or the House in time for the other chamber to make them law this session. As part of the flurry of activity that the day occasioned, the Senate passed SB 469, the bill that would effectively criminalize union picketing, applying restrictions and fines to labor-related groups that don't apply to other groups or pickets, and which is
opposed by both the Fulton County sheriff and Martin Luther King III. The bill
passed the Senate by a 34-18 vote.
Other bills that passed one chamber of the Georgia legislature, advancing to be considered by the other, include ones allowing religious employers to not cover birth control, requiring drug tests for people seeking public assistance, requiring food stamp recipients to engage in "personal growth" activities like school and banning state employee health plans from covering abortions. All of which is appropriate company for the anti-free speech, anti-union bill to be keeping.
SB 469 now moves to the state House for a vote, which means our efforts to oppose it move to the House as well. If you're a Georgia resident, email your state representative opposing this anti-picketing bill.