Sherman's Folly

Rep. Brad Sherman wants to outlaw Right to Work laws and the Investor's Business Daily takes note: Job Killer: A California congressman wants to eliminate right-to-work laws in 22 states where workers don't have to join unions. If even-higher unemployment is his goal, he has the right idea. Rep. Brad Sherman, a Democrat who represents a large part of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley, has introduced a bill that would repeal right-to-work statutes. These laws let workers employed at organized companies choose for themselves if they're going to join the union or pay union dues. In the 28 states without right-to-work laws, workers are forced to join the union if their employer has been organized. The depths to which lawmakers beholden to unions are willing to descend are almost bottomless, and labor is the second biggest contributor to Congressman Sherman's campaign in the current cycle. He wants to keep that 100% AFL-CIO rating and seems to have no compunction about wrecking jobs elsewhere (California is not a right-to-work state) to keep his union support. Sherman justifies the bill, H.R. 6384, on the free-rider argument. Right-to-work laws, he says, require unions to represent nondues-paying workers, and he wants those "exempt from paying" what he believes is "their fair share" to be forced into unions.

Sherman's Folly

Rep. Brad Sherman wants to outlaw Right to Work laws and the Investor's Business Daily takes note: Job Killer: A California congressman wants to eliminate right-to-work laws in 22 states where workers don't have to join unions. If even-higher unemployment is his goal, he has the right idea. Rep. Brad Sherman, a Democrat who represents a large part of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley, has introduced a bill that would repeal right-to-work statutes. These laws let workers employed at organized companies choose for themselves if they're going to join the union or pay union dues. In the 28 states without right-to-work laws, workers are forced to join the union if their employer has been organized. The depths to which lawmakers beholden to unions are willing to descend are almost bottomless, and labor is the second biggest contributor to Congressman Sherman's campaign in the current cycle. He wants to keep that 100% AFL-CIO rating and seems to have no compunction about wrecking jobs elsewhere (California is not a right-to-work state) to keep his union support. Sherman justifies the bill, H.R. 6384, on the free-rider argument. Right-to-work laws, he says, require unions to represent nondues-paying workers, and he wants those "exempt from paying" what he believes is "their fair share" to be forced into unions.
Job Losses Increase Pressure For Reform

Job Losses Increase Pressure For Reform

(Source: August 2010 NRTWC Newsletter) Grass-Roots Right to Work Efforts Expanding in Midwestern States Pro-forced unionism politicians like Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D-Mich., shown here with former Vice President Gore and President Obama) have lost credibility due to the extraordinarily poor economic performance of forced-unionism states. Credit: Radiospike.com All across America, Right to Work states have long benefited from economic growth far superior to that of states in which millions of employees are forced to join or pay dues or fees to a labor union just to keep their jobs. But over the past decade, the contrast between Right to Work states and forced-union-dues states has been especially stark in the Midwest. Four Midwestern forced-unionism states -- Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana -- suffered absolute private-sector job declines over the past decade that were worse than those of any of the other 46 states. Midwestern forced-unionism states (the four just mentioned, plus Missouri, Wisconsin and Minnesota) lost a net total of 1.88 million private-sector jobs. Combined, these seven forced-unionism states had 8.1% fewer private-sector jobs in 2009 than they did back in 1999. Meanwhile, the five Midwestern Right to Work states (North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa and Kansas) experienced an overall private-sector job increase of 2.3%. Moreover, from 1999 to 2009, real personal income in Midwestern Right to Work states grew by 17.3% -- an increase two-and-a-half times as a great as the combined real personal income growth in Midwestern forced-unionism states. State Right to Work laws prohibit the firing of employees simply for exercising their right to refuse to join or bankroll an unwanted union. At this time, 22 states have Right to Work laws on the books. However, because of intensifying grass-roots efforts in many of the remaining 28 forced-unionism states, the number of Right to Work states could be on the rise over the course of the next few years. Recession's End Won't Suffice to Revive Big Labor-Controlled States

Michelle Malkin: Obama’s Big Labor ethics loophole

[stream provider=youtube flv=http%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D8ia-l1RASG8 img=x:/img.youtube.com/vi/8ia-l1RASG8/0.jpg embed=false share=false width=350 height=250 dock=true controlbar=over bandwidth=high autostart=false /] Michelle Malkin highlights the non-existent ethical standards applied to Obama Big Labor politcal appointees like  SEIU/AFL-CIO lawyer Craig Becker who Obama appointed to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB): Everything you need to know about President Obama’s fraudulent ethics pledge can be summed up in four words: SEIU lawyer Craig Becker. It’s no surprise that Becker now refuses to hold himself accountable for the ethics pledge he himself signed in April. As the past two years have taught us, Team Obama’s operational slogan is: Rules are for fools. The contractual ethics commitment states: “I will not for a period of two years from the date of my appointment participate in any particular matter involving specific parties that is directly and substantially related to my former employer or former clients, including regulations and contracts.” Yet, Becker has participated in numerous NLRB cases involving the SEIU and its affiliates — and is parsing the definition of “former employer” by arguing that local SEIU chapters are “separate and distinct legal entities” that don’t fall under the ethics rules. The National Right to Work Foundation, which has fought both national and local SEIU officials in court on behalf of rank-and-file workers’ rights, eviscerates Becker’s lawyerly blather. SEIU’s own constitution considers local affiliates “constituent subordinate bodies” of the national union, the foundation notes. “Moreover, in 2009 over 85 percent of the SEIU’s receipts came from a per capita tax on the locals’ membership dues and fees. The national union even has the power to assume control over its locals if they do not conform to International policies.”
Tweedle Dee Lincoln and Tweedle Dum Halter

Tweedle Dee Lincoln and Tweedle Dum Halter

(Source: June 2010 NRTWC Newsletter) Both Candidates in Arkansas Democrat Run-Off Back Forced Unionism Shortly after this month's National Right to Work Newsletter goes to press, incumbent U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln will face a run-off contest against Lt. Gov. Bill Halter as she seeks her Democratic Party's nomination for a third term. Ms. Lincoln and Mr. Halter ran neck-and-neck in Arkansas's May 18 primary, and neither received a majority of the votes. (That is why the June 8 run-off is required under Arkansas law.) Most election observers expect the run-off will also be close. But one thing is already clear in advance of the Lincoln-Halter showdown: The victor will have a track record of supporting forced-unionism power grabs and giving the back of the hand to the overwhelming majority of Arkansas citizens who support their Right to Work law and oppose tampering with it. The only substantial difference between Ms. Lincoln and Mr. Halter on the forced-unionism issue is that the senator has very recently, with an eye toward the general election this fall, tried to obscure her long history of pro-forced unionism votes. Ms. Lincoln is now suggesting to freedom-loving Arkansas employees and employers that she is an "independent" voice on labor-policy issues.