Montana Legislators to Stand up for Workers — or Coercion

Rep. Jack Wells (R-Bozeman) and Sen. Greg Barkus (R-Kalispell) have introduced legislation in the Montana legislature to give workers in the state Right to Work protection. The bill would make it illegal to force someone to join a union as part of working at a union workplace. The bill has Big Labor activists up in arms, but it’s sad to see some Republicans join the opposition.

According to an Associated Press story in the Billings Gazette, Republican Public Service Commissioner Brad Molnar opposes worker protection, saying “workers covered by unions are not required to join the union,” — right so far — but he goes on to say, in effect, that if workers don’t pay dues or fees then they should be fired. In other words, Molnar supports taxing workers who choose not to join a union. ‘“Why wouldn’t you pay for that?’ he told the House Business and Labor Committee.” Because it punishes workers who exercise basic constitutional rights, Mr. Molnar.

Montana workers need protection from this type of abuse, but with Big Labor backed Democrat Gov. Brian Schweitzer opposing the legislation, enactment of the law this year is an uphill battle. The silver lining is that a roll-call vote on the bills will give Montana citizens a right to exercise their rights in 2008. Stay tuned for the list of those who will stand for freedom and those who will protect coercion.

Related Posts

Right to Work President Demands Tennessee Protect Employees, Not UAW Bosses' Unionization Schemes

Right to Work President Demands Tennessee Protect Employees, Not UAW Bosses' Unionization Schemes

No union, but especially not one with multiple top officials convicted in federal court of accepting bribes and embezzling workers’ dues money, should be allowed to impose unionization on workers by colluding with company officials to bypass a secret ballot vote. That’s why it is critical that any state incentive package includes a condition that the decision over whether to unionize the proposed Ford-SK Innovation Western Tennessee plant be made with workers having the full protection of a federally supervised secret ballot vote, and absent any backroom deal between company and UAW officials.