Ron Paul: Right to Work is Part of Economic Liberty

Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), a stalwart Right to Work supporter is retiring from Congress, but before he leaves, he made a forceful statement on worker's choice and economic growth: Many observers were surprised when Michigan, historically a stronghold of union power, became the nation’s 24th “Right to Work” state. The backlash from November’s unsuccessful attempt to pass a referendum forbidding the state from adopting a right to work law was a major factor in Michigan’s rejection of compulsory unionism. The need for drastic action to improve Michigan’s economy, which is suffering from years of big government policies, also influenced many Michigan legislators to support right to work. Let us be clear: right to work laws simply prohibit coercion. They prevent states from forcing employers to operate as closed union shops, and thus they prevent unions from forcing individuals to join. In many cases right to work laws are the only remedy to federal laws which empower union bosses to impose union dues as a condition of employment.
'A Choice, Not an Echo' on Forced Unionism

'A Choice, Not an Echo' on Forced Unionism

While four of the current 2012 GOP presidential hopefuls have signed and returned surveys pledging 100% support for Right to Work if elected, so far front-runner Mitt Romney and two others have not. Credit: Fox News Right to Work Committee Intensely Lobbies Presidential Hopefuls (Source:  January 2012 National Right to Work Committee Newsletter) As the 2012 presidential primaries and caucuses begin this month, millions and millions of Americans are looking for a clear alternative to the Obama Administration's relentless promotion of compulsory unionism. Ever since he became U.S. President three years ago, Barack Obama has eagerly championed Big Labor power grabs in Congress and selected forced-unionism zealots for leadership positions at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the Labor Department, and other federal bureaucracies. But polls show the vast majority of all Americans who regularly vote in federal elections believe the Obama Administration is just plain wrong to favor forcing workers to pay union dues to get a job. And opposition to pro-forced unionism federal policies is especially intense among likely voters in the states where the crucial first contests for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination are taking place. Surveys recently conducted for the National Right to Work Committee by respected pollster Kellyanne Conway confirm that likely voters in the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries this month overwhelmingly agree that federal labor laws should either protect the Right to Work, or be scrapped completely. 'Will the Next President Of the United States Stand up to Big Labor?' Ms. Conway's scientific survey, conducted November 18-21 by live interviewers at a computer-assisted telephone facility, found that 72% of likely Granite State primary voters believe federal law should "definitely not" allow "labor union officials to have a worker fired . . . for not paying union dues or fees." An additional 9% said federal should "probably not" allow that.
'A Choice, Not an Echo' on Forced Unionism

'A Choice, Not an Echo' on Forced Unionism

While four of the current 2012 GOP presidential hopefuls have signed and returned surveys pledging 100% support for Right to Work if elected, so far front-runner Mitt Romney and two others have not. Credit: Fox News Right to Work Committee Intensely Lobbies Presidential Hopefuls (Source:  January 2012 National Right to Work Committee Newsletter) As the 2012 presidential primaries and caucuses begin this month, millions and millions of Americans are looking for a clear alternative to the Obama Administration's relentless promotion of compulsory unionism. Ever since he became U.S. President three years ago, Barack Obama has eagerly championed Big Labor power grabs in Congress and selected forced-unionism zealots for leadership positions at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the Labor Department, and other federal bureaucracies. But polls show the vast majority of all Americans who regularly vote in federal elections believe the Obama Administration is just plain wrong to favor forcing workers to pay union dues to get a job. And opposition to pro-forced unionism federal policies is especially intense among likely voters in the states where the crucial first contests for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination are taking place. Surveys recently conducted for the National Right to Work Committee by respected pollster Kellyanne Conway confirm that likely voters in the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries this month overwhelmingly agree that federal labor laws should either protect the Right to Work, or be scrapped completely. 'Will the Next President Of the United States Stand up to Big Labor?' Ms. Conway's scientific survey, conducted November 18-21 by live interviewers at a computer-assisted telephone facility, found that 72% of likely Granite State primary voters believe federal law should "definitely not" allow "labor union officials to have a worker fired . . . for not paying union dues or fees." An additional 9% said federal should "probably not" allow that.
The war on jobs and true employee free choice

The war on jobs and true employee free choice

South Carolina Boeing employee Dennis Murray, a quality assurance inspector, doesn't mince words regarding IAM union bosses' aims: "They're trying to spank us like unruly children, by having all of our jobs taken away." Credit: WCBD-TV (Charleston, S.C.) From the South Carolina State newspaper, and op-ed by Rep. Ron Paul: With jobs so hard to come by for many Americans, you would think a private company deciding to create more than 1,000 jobs would be cheered by Republicans and Democrats alike. But President Obama’s National Labor Relations Board is doing everything it can to stop Boeing from opening a new plant in North Charleston. And as sad as it may seem, at the heart of the board’s actions is political cronyism at its absolute worst. Since South Carolina is a right-to-work state, workers at Boeing’s new plant can’t be forced under the threat of losing their jobs to hand over a portion of their hard-earned money to union officials in dues. The labor board’s attempt to force Boeing to stay in a non-right-to-work state where the union bosses can force workers to pay up or be fired is political payback for their undying support during the last presidential campaign. If the Obama administration succeeds, it could result in the virtual destruction of right-to-work laws all across the country: No longer could private companies decide for themselves where to move or open new facilities; the government would now take on that responsibility and make decisions based solely on what benefits the big-labor elite. Right-to-work states would be left out in the cold. According to the National Institute for Labor Relations Research, right-to-work states had more than double the job growth of forced-unionism states over the past decade. In other words, big-labor control over American workers is a drag on our economy. It was organized labor’s stranglehold that drove the big three automakers to the brink of bankruptcy — until American taxpayers were forced to rescue them. And it’s not just in the private sector. Big labor’s control of government workers in California, Illinois and elsewhere has driven those states to the brink of bankruptcy.
Forced-Unionism Issue Looms Large For 2012

Forced-Unionism Issue Looms Large For 2012

Right to Work Committee Begins Lobbying Presidential Hopefuls (Source: July 2011 NRTWC Newsletter) This summer, New Hampshire is the site of an extended battle over the Right to Work issue, as pro-Right to Work citizens seek to secure two-thirds majority votes in the state House and Senate to override Big Labor Gov. John Lynch's veto of legislation (H.B.474) prohibiting compulsory union dues and fees. Because Right to Work has been in the New Hampshire news since both chambers of the state's General Court approved H.B.474 earlier this year, WMUR-TV (ABC) news anchor Josh McElveen decided to bring up the issue at the June 13 GOP presidential debate at St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. Mr. McElveen asked former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, one of the seven 2012 presidential hopefuls participating in the debate, whether he would, if elected, support "a federal Right to Work law." Mr. Pawlenty ignited the debate's longest and most enthusiastic round of applause with his response: "We live in the United States of America, and people shouldn't be forced to belong [to] or be a member in any organization, and the government has no business telling people what group you have to be a member of or not. "I support strongly Right to Work legislation."