Employee Freedom on the Line in Federal Races

Fate of 27 Right to Work Laws Could Hinge on Electoral Outcomes

As this Newsletter edition went to press in early October, Big Labor bosses remained publicly confident their enormous, forced union dues-funded campaign war chest would enable them to elect the next President, while securing operational control over the U.S. Senate.

Of course, the union hierarchy was also expecting to succeed in perpetuating its operational control over the U.S. House.

If control of the Senate changes, union kingpins will be able to install one of their puppets — most likely anti-Right to Work New York Democrat and current Minority Leader Charles Schumer — as the chamber’s new majority leader.  

But National Right to Work Committee members are fighting back through their federal Survey 2020 program.

This program’s basic goal is simply to ensure that pro-forced unionism candidates for the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the presidency are held accountable.

Biden Labor Policy Plan Even More Radical Than Obama or Clinton Agenda

Former Vice President Joe Biden — the Democrat Party’s standard bearer in the 2020 campaign for the White House — is running on a labor-policy platform far more radical than those advanced by 2016 Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton or former President Barack Obama.

Ms. Clinton and Mr. Obama solicited Big Labor support by denouncing Right to Work laws, despite such protections’ enormous popularity with the American people. 

But they did not go so far as to pledge publicly to push for the evisceration of all state Right to Work statutes and constitutional provisions.

Mr. Biden has, time and again.

Committee Vice President Greg Mourad explained: “Today, close to 90 million private-sector American workers live in states where they cannot legally be forced to pay dues or fees to a union as a condition of employment.

“But Joe Biden wants to invalidate all private-sector Right to Work protections everywhere in the U.S. These are his own words: ‘We should change the federal law [so] that there is no Right to 

Work allowed anywhere in the country.’

“To accomplish that long-time Big Labor goal, Mr. Biden is vowing to do everything he can to see that union bosses’ so-called ‘Protecting the Right to Organize’ Act, or PRO Act, becomes law.

“This omnibus legislation, rubber-stamped by Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s [D-Calif.] House early this year, enhances Big Labor’s coercive power over employees and small businesses in a wide array of ways.

“But its core provision, as the Big Labor-founded ‘think tank’ known as the Economic Policy Institute admits, ‘overrides’ Right to Work laws by ‘establishing’ that union bosses ‘in all 50 states’ may cut workplace deals granting them the power to force employees to pay fees to Big Labor, or be fired.”  

Senate Could Be Right to Work’s ‘Last Firewall’ Against Host of Power Grabs

The PRO Act actually doesn’t go far enough for Mr. Biden.

Even though state and local employees have traditionally been regarded as subject to the jurisdiction of the states, not the federal government, Mr. Biden has said he would be eager to sign federal legislation foisting union monopoly bargaining on public workers in all 50 states.

As exciting as the forced-unionism agenda laid out by the Biden-Harris campaign undoubtedly is for union chieftains, Big Labor is well aware of the fact that the election of Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris alone will not make this agenda a reality.

Mr. Mourad commented:

“Before they can be signed into law by Joe Biden, the PRO Act and legislation overriding state laws and mandating union monopoly control over public servants in all 50 states [H.R.3463/S.1970] must first make it through Congress.

“The PRO Act [H.R.2474/S.1306], of course, has already gotten the green light from a majority of House members. But it appears that, as we head towards Election Day, union lobbyists still lack sufficient votes to get the PRO Act and their other favorite schemes through the Senate.

“The Senate is potentially Right to Work’s last firewall against the PRO Act, federally mandated union monopoly control over state and local civil servants, and a host of other Big Labor power grabs.

“And with Joe Biden and powerful Capitol Hill Democrats saying they will end the Senate filibuster next year if necessary to ram through their legislative agenda, a net switchover of just three or four Senate seats could suffice to destroy that firewall.”

Half-a-Dozen Pro-Right to Work Senators In Union Bosses’ Sights

To pave the way for 2021 enactment of radical forced-unionism legislation, the union political machine is targeting for defeat pro-Right to Work senators seeking to hold seats in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, and North Carolina.

Sens. Martha McSally (Ariz.), Cory Gardner (Colo.), David Perdue (Ga.), Kelly Loeffler (Ga.), Joni Ernst (Iowa), and Thom Tillis (N.C.) have all publicly pledged to oppose the PRO Act and other Big Labor schemes on all votes.

All six have also pledged to support and work for passage of a national Right to Work law, repealing all the current provisions in the federal code that authorize the termination of employees for refusal to join or bankroll an unwanted union.

“Union political strategists are hoping to replace staunchly pro-Right to Work senators in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa and North Carolina with forced-unionism allies,” said Mr. Mourad.

“None of the Democrat nominees for U.S. Senate seats in these states have returned Right to Work candidate surveys, asking how they would vote on key compulsory unionism-related legislation. 

“But all of them are eagerly accepting the support of union political operatives, which is primarily paid for with dues and fees extracted from workers. In 23 states, workers who refuse to pay money to a union they never asked for may still be fired for that reason alone.”

Union-Label Senators Face Pro-Freedom Challengers

Union chiefs are also targeting for takeover the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Pat Roberts (Kan.), a strong supporter of Right to Work who is retiring at the end of this term.

Meanwhile, 100% pro-Right to Work challengers are facing off against union-label incumbent senators in New Hampshire and Alabama.

Mr. Mourad reported:

“One of the first votes Jeanne Shaheen [N.H.] cast upon joining the Senate in January 2009 was to kill a pro-Right to Work amendment sponsored by then-Sen. Jim DeMint [S.C.] and thus perpetuate Big Labor’s federally granted forced-dues privileges.

“Since then, Ms. Shaheen has continued to toe the line for union officials as they drive to expand forced unionism. For example, she is currently a cosponsor of the Right to Work-destroying PRO Act.

“But she is now facing an energetic challenge from Army veteran and attorney Corky Messner, who is pledging to New Hampshire citizens that, if he wins in November, he will support Right to Work across-the-board in the Senate.

“Big Labor-backed Alabama Sen. Doug Jones has not been as unabashed in his support for corralling workers into unions as Ms. Shaheen, but like Ms. Shaheen he is refusing to answer his Right to Work candidate survey. 

“This is a troubling sign he will side with the union bosses when the moment of truth arrives.

“Mr. Jones’ challenger is former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville, who is proudly pledging to freedom-loving Alabamans that he will always support Right to Work and oppose forced unionism as a senator.”

Survey 2020 is the principal Committee program for holding politicians’ feet to the fire. It has three phases.

Committee Rallies Members To Put Heat on the Candidates

In the first part, candidates received questionnaires asking them how they intended to vote on a short list of forced unionism-related issues, including the preservation of state Right to Work laws and federally mandated monopolistic government unionism.

In part two, Committee members called and wrote to the candidates, asking them to answer 100% in support of Right to Work.

In the final phase, the Committee, through TV and newspaper ads, emails, and the Postal Service, is reporting back to members and friends at the local level on how their candidates responded.

That keeps the heat on non-responsive candidates to take a clear stand on the Right to Work issue.

“Big Labor has far more money at its disposal than do Right to Work supporters,” said Mr. Mourad. “But the union bosses do have one major problem: The general public, and even the workers they claim to represent, don’t agree with what they are selling.

“With members’ generous support, the federal survey has convinced candidate after candidate to pledge to defend employees’ Right to Work. And this fall, candidates who refuse to do so will be held accountable by the public.”