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发帖数: 29846 | 1 Right-To-Work states can be indentified on the map below. Ironically, the
states labeled as “blue” are predominantly “red” states during election
season. 42 Right-To-Work bills are pending in 24 other states, according to
the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Right-To-Work is a foundation that was established to protect the civil
rights of employees while eliminating forced unionism. Right-To-Work is not
so much “anti-union” but rather anti-forced unionism. The laws give
employees the option to decline joining a union, back out of a union, and
barring union dues from being deducted from the paychecks of public
employees. Unions across the country have recently been under fire in many
states and situations: Wisconsin, Ohio, New Jersey, and Boeing of Seattle.
The time has come for political leaders to see the positive economic
benefits in Right-To-Work (RTW) states. It has been reported by the National
Institute for Labor Relations Research that Right-To-Work States benefited
from Real Personal Income Growth within the decade of 1999 and 2009:
Percentage Growth in Real Personal Income (1999-2009)
Right to Work States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28.3%
Forced-Unionism States. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.7%
National Average . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.5%
(For more statistics: http:www.nrtw.org)
When economic research displays a variation of state growth across the
country, particularly in industry location and economic growth, it is in
fact RTW laws play the significant factor. Unions play an even larger factor
in the division of growth among the nation.
A union environment is naturally a less-attractive atmosphere to invest new
capital resources and attract industry. It has been confirmed by economist
Thomas Holmes http://www.econ.umn.edu/~holmes/research.html that manufacturing differs among counties in RTW regions. Holmes addresses the assumption that two bordering counties, one of which is located in a forced-union state, would be highly similar in most respects except for their business-policy environment. Holmes’ research discovered that “the manufacturing share of total employment in a county increases by about one-third when one crosses the border into the probuisness side.”
If you recall, the Wisconsin forced-unionism battle, generated by Republican
Governor Scott Walker, was put to a temporary halt in February when 14
Democrats in the State’s Senate fled to Illinois to avoid a vote.
Republicans in the state maneuvered around the childish antics of their
colleagues by convening a special committee to remove fiscal elements from
the bill and allow a vote with fewer members present. The Wisconsin Supreme
Court also approved Governor Walker’s Union-law which addressed the state
’s budget deficit by requiring public employees to contribute more to their
healthcare and pensions. In rock-paper-scissor terms, Walker’s Law is
paper and the public unions are the rock. Collective bargaining rights are
not an option in a state with a $3.6 billion dollar budget shortfall and
local governments will now gain enough flexibility regarding labor costs in
order to deal with reduced state-aid.
Immediately following Wisconsin, Governor Kasich of Ohio signed into law a
limit on public-worker collective bargaining rights. Healthcare, sick time
and pension benefits are no longer negotiable. Automatic public-worker pay
raises are eliminated. The House Labor Committee added Republican-supported
revisions that make it more difficult for unions to collect fees by banning
automatic deductions from employee paychecks.
Most recently, The National Labor Relations Board has sued Boeing Co.,
claiming the company retaliated against its unionized work force in the
state of Washington by opening a new production line for its 787′ airplane
in the RTW state of South Carolina. Through this lawsuit, the agency is
demanding a judge order Boeing to return all 787′ assembly work to
Washington.
In my home state of New Jersey, Republican Governor Chris Christie has been
denounced as “Anti-Public Workers” or “Anti-Union”. If you recall the
statistics above, Governor Christie is simply trying to establish a “Pro-
Buisness” environment in his state. Last week, a RTW bill was quietly
introduced into the State Legislature.”Workers ought to have the ability to
decide whether they want to join a union or not,” said the sponsor,
Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon, the top-ranking Republican on the Assembly
Budget Committee. She continued on, “If the unions can make a case they
can benefit workers, I’ll withdraw the bill. If they fail to make that case
, why should the government order people to join or comply?” New Jersey
democrats claim that the bill is “dead on arrival” and after New Hampshire
RTW proposition failed, union-workers in New Jersey rally with hope that
the war on unions will be won by the public. Last month, the New Jersey
Education Association took a big hit when the Governor signed into effect a
law requiring higher pension and healthcare benefits costs to those public
employees.
How has the New Jersey Education Association promised to support their union
-members after this critical vote? The NJEA reportedly spent $2 million
dollars in six weeks on anti-Christie ads. RTW laws simply provide the
option for employees to keep a little extra dough’ in their pockets while
determining the use of their own paychecks.
Those teachers who contribute bi-monthly union dues, I bet, could have
easily determined a better use to the collective $2 million dollars. Extra
revenue in a worker’s pocket contributes to personal economic confidence.
One person with economic confidence will be more likely to take their
additional revenue and spread it amongst their community through personal
spending. If a state has economic confidence, such as in an RTW state,
industry and business will blossom while providing jobs and revenue. |
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