Austin Knudsen Doesn’t Support Montana Public Employees or Unions

September 21, 2020 / Comments (0)

Action News

Austin Knudsen didn’t show up to interview with MFPE for an endorsement. He didn’t even fill out our candidate questionnaire. But that doesn’t mean we don’t know where he stands — he has a clear track record on our issues.

Austin Knudsen doesn’t support public employees or unions. He wants to privatize public education and gut our retirement systems. He is against pre-school and Head Start, he wants guns in our workplaces, and he’s bad for veterans.

Austin Knudsen doesn’t deserve MFPE’s endorsement. It’s a matter of public record.

Austin Knudsen is anti-union. He voted for a Right to Work bill to end payroll deduction (SB462, 2015).

Austin Knudsen doesn’t support public employees. He voted against…
• state employee jobs (HB08, 2017 Special Session)
• state employee health clinics (2017 Special Session floor motion)
• the state employee pay plan every chance he got (HB13-2017/2015/2013/2011, SB294-2017,
• building MT Heritage Center (HB 660, 2017)
• the election day holiday for state employees (HB431, 2011)
• state employee pay raises and benefits increases (SB129, 2011)
• forming a health insurance pool for k-12 school employees (HB590, 2011)
• funding the highway patrol (HB473, 2017)

Austin Knudsen wants to gut our retirement systems. He voted to…
• destabilize TRS and PERS (SB143-2017, HB377/454-2013, HB189/632-2011)
• end pension system for all new hires (HB 338, 2013)
• end TRS and PERS (SB406, 2013)
• create hybrid retirements system for all new hires (SB54, 2011)
• move PERS to defined contribution system (SB328, 2011)
• destabilize the Faculty Retirement system (HB266, 2011)

Austin Knudsen wants to privatize Montana’s public education system. He voted for…
• publicly funded private charter schools (HB603-2011, HB315-2013, HB596-2015)
• letting anyone be a librarian (HB181, 2013)
• taxpayer funded private/sectarian tuition (HB213, 2013)
• defunding public schools (HB230 and SB175, 2013)
• taxpayer funded private and religious school vouchers (HB357-2013, HB322-2015)
• tax credits to scholarship organizations (SB81, 2013)
• tuition tax credits for private institutions (HB 433/SB410, 2015)

Austin Knudsen is against public pre-school. He voted against public preschool (HB2, 2015) and against funding Head Start (HB75, 2011).

Austin Knudsen supports guns in our workplaces. He voted for guns in schools (HB385-2017, HB320-2015) and guns on campuses (SB 143, 2015).

Austin Knudsen doesn’t support veterans. He…
• voted against building SW MT Veterans Home (SB367, 2017)
• voted to privatize MT State Veterans Home (HB2, 2011)
• is currently blocking veterans from accessing their own public park

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