Committee OKs bill to restrict mass picketing in Georgia
Mass picketing outside private residences would be restricted under a bill passed Tuesday by a Senate Committee.
Senate Bill 469 would also require employees to put into writing every year that they want to pay union dues or organizational fees through paycheck deductions.
The bill, drafted by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, passed unanimously through the Senate Insurance and Labor Committee despite nearly an hour of testimony -- mostly by union members, advocacy groups and individuals who opposed the bill. Committee members made one change, making it a "high and aggravated" misdemeanor and not a felony for someone convicted of conspiring to commit criminal trespass.
Police escorted two of the bill's opponents from the meeting after the vote, as shouting erupted in the standing-room-only crowd. Those who testified against the bill said it infringed on people's rights to free speech and to assemble peaceably.
Sen. Don Balfour, R-Snellville, sponsored the bill. He said the language was "content neutral" and would not infringe on people's rights.
