Propelled By ALEC, ‘Right-to-Work’ Assault on Unions Reaches Pennsylvania

by Bruce Vail

Pennsylvania labor is primed for the fight: An April 11, 2011 Teamsters rally against previous right-to-work legislation drew some 400 protestors to the state Capitol. (The Rick Smith Show / Flickr / Creative Commons)

Backed by powerful national business interests, conservative legislators in Pennsylvania announced last week a new push to bring so-called “right-to-work” laws to the Keystone state. State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe said January 22 that he and five other Republican legislators would introduce a package of bills aimed at crippling the ability of labor unions to collect dues from members.

Pennsylvania labor leaders say the package is part of a broad assault on labor that began in 2010 when the GOP won control of the governor’s office and both houses of the legislature.

10 Things to Know About What Happened in Michigan On Thursday

by Doug Foote

Photo by @PeterKlein77 on Twitter

1.) The Michigan House and Senate yesterday [Thursday=tu] passed so-called “right to work” bills. “Right to work” laws effectively defund the ability of workers to have a voice at their workplace. In 23 other states, these laws have lowered wages, weakened benefits, raised the poverty rate, and led to increased workplace injuries and deaths. The House passed one such bill and the Senate passed two.

2.) Republican leaders in Michigan were not honest about their intent. The morning began with Governor Rick Snyder reversing his earlier position on the “right to work.” He had previously said that the bill was “not on his agenda,” and that it was a divisive issue – but then yesterday, he suddenly urged the House and Senate to pass the bill and said he would sign it when it reached his desk. Similarly, Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville previously opposed “right to work,” but expressed support for it on Thursday morning.

Kicking Underdogs When They Are Down

by Leo Gerard

USW President Leo Gerard

In a nation enamored of underdogs, the sudden surge of right-to-work (for less) legislation is confounding. Right-to-work (for less) laws are perks for the wealthy, for the top dogs. These laws facilitate destruction of unions. The concerted action of a labor union is a tool that workers use to win fair wages, benefits and conditions from the powerful, from the likes of massive multi-national corporations. At a time of dwindling union membership, at a time when labor union participation is so small as to be nearly negligible, state legislatures across the country are taking up right-to-work (for less) laws that will further decimate union ranks. They’re kicking the underdog when it’s down.

Americans love an underdog. Maybe it’s an artifact of the American Revolution, when a rag-tag rabble of farmers and frontiersmen defeated the disciplined and well-provisioned military of the most powerful nation on earth.

Even though the United States has usurped most powerful status, Americans still ally with Davids in contests with Goliaths. They love to see a top dog taken down a notch. They rooted for the perennial loser Red Sox in the 2004 World Series and reveled in the win by America’s unseasoned ice hockey team in the 1980 Winter Olympics.

That’s why the sudden surge of right-to-work (for less) legislation is so confounding. Right-to-work (for less) laws are perks for the wealthy, for the top dogs. These laws facilitate destruction of unions. The concerted action of a labor union is a tool that workers use to win fair wages, benefits and conditions from the powerful, from the likes of massive multi-national corporations. At a time of dwindling union membership, at a time when labor union participation is so small as to be nearly negligible, state legislatures across the country are taking up right-to-work (for less) laws that will further decimate union ranks. They’re kicking the underdog when it’s down.

How to Throw a Worker-Friendly Super Bowl Party

Main Street Blog/Working America

http://www.workingamerica.org/blog/

Super Bowl Sunday is almost upon us, and the New England Patriots and the New York Giants are preparing to battle it out for dominance. But there’s an extra wrinkle in this year’s Super Bowl. Just days ago, down the street from Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis where the game will be held, Governor Mitch Daniels signed a union-busting “right to work” bill into law. In the other 22 states where these laws are on the books, wages for all workers have gone down, workplaces have become less safe, and the power of unions to advocate for their members has dissipated.

For you at home, there’s somewhat of a dilemma. You want to enjoy the experience of Super Bowl Sunday: the gathering of friends and family, the commercials, the rush of the game, and of course, the food. On the other hand, you don’t want to be just another cog in the enormous corporate machine, the “miasma of Madison Avenue-produced militarism,” the forces that have turned an annual sporting event into a full-on marketing assault on the American public; forces that are tied philosophically and financially to the political war on workers.

New ad: ‘What’ Exposes Indiana Gov. Daniels on ‘Right to Work’

Working families in Indiana have launched a new television entitled ‘What,’ that features Governor Daniels in his own words opposing Right to Work for Less. In his speech to the Teamsters in 2006 Daniels opposed any changes to Indiana’s labor laws and said, “…certainly not a Right to Work law.”

The ad will run following Governor Daniels’ response to the State of the Union on broadcast networks in Indiana and nationally on CNN and MSNBC.

Indiana Senate Passes RTW Despite Broad Public Opposition

by Cathy Sherwin

 Despite overwhelming opposition throughout Indiana to the so-called right to work (RTW) bill, the state Senate yesterday passed its version of the bill by 28-22, while House Speaker Brian Bosma continued to use strong-arm tactics to force RTW down Hoosiers’ throats. The Senate chose to vote even as 10,000 Hoosier workers packed the statehouse—and even though working families have been holding town hall meetings, making thousands of phone calls and signing postcards.

Throughout the day, Democratic amendments to the House version of RTW (House Bill 1001) were rejected on party lines. Even the hugely popular amendment calling for a public referendum that would allow voters to decide on RTW went down to defeat. Then Bosma shut down the discussion on amendments, cutting off further debate. In protest, House Democrats left the chamber and went to caucus.

Wages and benefits for union and nonunion workers lower in right-to-work states

Wages for both union and nonunion workers are lower in states with right-to-work (RTW) laws than in those without, a new Economic Policy Institute (EPI) Briefing Paper finds. EPI economists Elise Gould and Heidi Shierholz control for demographic and socioeconomic variables in The Compensation Penalty of “Right-to-Work Laws” and find that wages are 3.2% lower in RTW states than in non-RTW states.

The provision of both employer-sponsored health insurance and employer-sponsored pensions is also lower in RTW states. Full findings of the report are as follows:

Missouri Senate “right to work” attack

Missouri AFL-CIO

Senate Pro Tem Mayer has made the “right to work” attack on Missouri’s middle class a top priority this legislative session. To accomplish his goals, he hand-selected a committee chaired by anti-worker organization ALEC-member Jane Cunningham. Also on the committee, the sponsor of two “Right to work” bills, Luann Ridgeway from Clay County.

Ridgeway and Mayer gave testimony straight out of the National Right to Work Foundation’s playbook. They told a story of a Missouri standing alone in suffering regional unemployment and of workers shackled by burdensome forced membership. They shrugged off lower wages as “regional adjustments” and Ridgeway said she “can’t believe that would be true” when asked by Senator Wright-Jones about lower workplace safety in so-called right to work states.

To get to the core issue, Senator McKenna asked Ridgeway if she wants to eliminate unions.

Right-to-Work: Union Busting in Indiana

by Marvin Williams

Republican members of the Indiana House of Representatives have just introduced a bill deceptively captioned “Employee’s right to work.” The title misrepresents the bill’s true intent which is to do just the opposite. The bill’s real purpose is to stop working people from organizing themselves in unions so they can truly exercise their right to work.

The House bill no. 1043 was introduced January 5, 2011 by Representatives Torr, Culver, Kubacki, and Turner; received first reading; and was referred to the Committee on Employment, Labor, and Pensions. Interestingly, when asked December 26, 2010 by an Indianapolis Star reporter about the Indiana Chamber of Commerce’s drive to put “right-to-work” on the legislative agenda, Republican Governor Mitch Daniels said, “I don’t think it should be a subject of debate and vote in this particular General Assembly.” In the Governor’s 2011 State of the State address the words “right-to-work” were unmentioned.

In summary, the right-to-work bill would make “it a Class A misdemeanor for an employer to require an individual to: (1) become or remain a member of a labor organization; (2) pay dues, fees, or other charges to a labor organization; or (3) pay to a charity or another third party an amount that represents dues, fees, or other charges required of members of a labor organization; as a condition of employment or continuation of employment. Establishes a separate private right of action for violations or threatened violations.”

Colorado’s Amendment 47: The Concept of Work for Less (and what you can do to help)

by Richard Myers

No one will be shocked that we’re witnessing deception in politics. Someone long ago realized if you have an unpopular cause, you call it the opposite of what it is. We’ve endured that legacy ever since. A prime example is the current Colorado referendum on Amendment 47.