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Governor Kay Ivey held a bill signing ceremony for SB231, also known as the Union Economic Incentive Bill. Senator Arthur Orr and House Majority Leader Scott Stadthagen sponsored SB231. The Associated Builders and Contractors of AL was proud to work with the sponsors to ensure the passage of this legislation.
The law requires that companies that receive state, county, or municipal economic incentives after Jan. 1, 2025, must repay those incentives if they voluntarily recognize a union without conducting a secret ballot election.
The law also prohibits employers from disclosing an employee’s personal contact information to a labor organization or third party acting on behalf of a labor organization without the employee’s prior written consent unless otherwise required by state or federal law.
President of Associated Builders and Contractors of AL Jay Reed said, “While we welcome and celebrate large industries coming to our state, we still must protect the reason these industries are coming to Alabama in the first place. Ensuring secret ballot unionization elections is critical to free enterprise. There is a reason why our political elections are conducted with secret ballots, and workers should be given those same protections when choosing whether to organize or not.”
Senator Arthur Orr stated, “This law simply requires that employers who receive state funds conduct unionization votes by secret ballot. The purpose of the secret ballot is obvious: it prevents employees from being intimidated, ostracized, or humiliated for making the decision they believe is in the best interest of them and their families.”
Majority Leader Scott Stadthagen agreed, “This law does not prevent workers from joining unions. It gives employees the right to vote privately and be free from pressure campaigns from labor unions or anyone else. Secret ballots are a foundational principle in our nation, and workers deserve the right to make their own decisions freely.”
Associated Builders and Contractors of AL represents the construction industry, which is integral to Alabama’s economy. It creates 200,000 jobs and accounts for 5 percent of the state’s economic output. ABC is committed to advocating on behalf of the industry and its workers.
