DPG Statement on Signing of Senate Bill 362

On Monday, Governor Kemp signed SB 362 — a direct attack on workers, organized labor, and businesses. In a violation of the 1935 National Labor Relations Act, the bill disqualifies any business that voluntarily recognizes a labor union in their workplace from receiving state economic incentives. The new law is certain to spawn a lawsuit that some speculate “will cost Georgia taxpayers millions of dollars and the state will lose.”   

“Governor Kemp loves to complain about government picking winners and losers … except when he does it to attack Georgia workers and the unions that represent them,” said DPG spokesperson Dave Hoffman. “Governor Kemp should follow his own advice and ‘do his damn job’ rather than continuing to sign bad laws that waste money and won’t help Georgians just to pay back his political donors.”

The state denying economic incentives could have major consequences to a company’s bottom line, particularly in a state as reliant on such incentives as Georgia. While companies can choose to forego state assistance and voluntarily allow workers to form a union, the potential funding loss can have an outsized impact on their decision-making process, discouraging planned investments and job creation. 

Monday’s bill signing marks the second shot Governor Kemp has taken at Georgia workers in as many weeks. Last week, Kemp signed onto a joint statement with five other Southern Republican governors that threatened job losses should employees at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, TN, vote to form a union. Workers seeking better workplace representation, increased negotiating power, and improved benefits won with 73% of the vote.

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