Sizemore files anti-union ballot measure

SALEM - Bill Sizemore, executive director of Oregon Taxpayers United, turned in petition sheets May 24 for another anti-union ballot measure to the secretary of state.

The measure, a rewrite of the "paycheck deception" measures he sponsored unsuccessfully two years ago, would restrict the use of payroll-deducted funds by unions and other organizations that seek to represent their members in the political process.

"This measure is a three-time loser with the voters," said Oregon AFL-CIO President Tim Nesbitt, referring to the defeat of Measures 92 and 98 in 2000 and Measure 59 in 1998. "We're confident the voters will see through this unfair attempt to silence the voice of workers."

But, it's not clear that Sizemore's petitions will be sufficient to make the ballot. He claims to have barely enough signatures to qualify (91,000 submitted versus 89,048 needed), and he's likely to have a high rate of invalid signatures. In addition, many of his petitions may be subject to challenge for fraudulent signature collection practices, the state labor federation said. The final deadline for submission of signatures is July 5. So Sizemore is likely to continue circulating this and other initiatives until then. If you see petition circulators call the Voter Education Project at 1-800-295-5597.

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