Posted on 12/05/2014 5:26:54 AM PST by rellimpank
Is Wisconsin better off with weaker unions?
Some conservatives think so. Legislators will consider the question when right-to-work legislation is introduced early next year. Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said members in his house would begin debate within weeks.
But I think Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican leadership should tread carefully. There is scant evidence that right-to-work laws boost job creation; there is evidence that weaker unions hurt working people. And there is no doubt whatsoever that a fight over right to work in Wisconsin will be bloody. Remember Act 10?
Under right-to-work laws, workers in unionized shops cannot be required to pay dues as a condition of employment. That creates a "free rider" problem for unions as workers calculate that they can benefit from representation without paying for it. As a result, unions have a harder time organizing and less clout. Twenty-four states have some form of right to work including Michigan and Indiana.
Walker says right-to-work is not a priority but he hasn't said whether he would sign a bill if one reaches his desk. If a bill gets to Walker, I don't think there is any question what he will do. He will sign it.
(Excerpt) Read more at jsonline.com ...
Open weeping in Milwaukee.
Typical liberal bravo sierra!
They should keep their union laws - much better for us down here in the Southeastern USA. :)
Unions are tied to the Democratic Party as electoral machinery.
And the GOP should give them favors, why exactly? I have no objection to unions representing workers’ interests.
I have a visceral objection to unions acting as a partisan extension of the Democratic Party. That needs to be addressed.
And after what unions put WI through in the previous election cycles, Republicans understandably aren’t in an accommodating mood.
Though I grew up and now live in Wisconsin, I was born in Peoria, IL. Keystone Steel & Wire, Caterpillar, Hiram Walker all had huge manufacturing facilities there. It was a huge draw for workers from the other states, particularly southern state. Then the unions came in, and Keystone was the first to move to a “right to work” state. Hiram Walker and Cat followed soon after.
Under laws artificially privileging labor unions over freedom of association, workers are forced to pay dues to unions as a condition of taking jobs with particular employers, which those employers are legally forced to impose. That creates an "entry barrier" benefit for unions, whose workers get more for doing less, and an "entry barrier" problem for workers and employers who find it in their mutual interest to come to agreement outside the unionized framework. As a result, many workers lose opportunities and prices of goods and services increase, stripping customers, owners and shareholders alike of the gains to be had from mutually beneficial exchanges.
Rep. Chris Kapenga plans to introduce RTW legislation after first of year.
This is a pretty tepid piece of defense scribbling
It lacks the force of full bore union bravado. He can say “I tried”
Rep. Bill Lant (R-159th District) plans to introduce RTW legislation in Missouri in January. He will first need to overcome StL country club Republicans. Even though Republicans control both houses in MO and can override Nixon’s veto, many will need to be strong armed to vote for it.
--I suspect that this is less a problem than it is presented because I suspect anyone bold enough to use the services of a union of which he is not a member would face complete ostracism of not worse from his fellow workers-.
In my experience, removal of the automatic dues-checkoff would be the fair way to treat union dues--that way if you have enough interest to go pay your dues, you would be a member in good standing of the union. Otherwise, the union should not have to represent you---
1. Business
2. Consumers
3. The workers themselves
Unions are no longer beneficial to the economy -- or any segment thereof.
—ping—
Just the fact that the J-S would use the loaded union propaganda term “free riders” tells you where they stand on this issue.
Right to work on the Republican agenda for 2015 in Wisconsin.
FReep Mail me if you want on, or off, this Wisconsin interest ping list.
Thanks for the clarification. I’d always been told it was because of the right-to-work states. One of my uncles lost his job at Keystone when they moved. Another of my uncles lost his house during the Cat strike. yet another worked extra jobs so he could keep paying the bills whenever there was a strike or a layoff. I always thought it was really stupid when the union called a strike shortly after coming back from a layoff.
Governor Walker on this situation? His mouth says, ‘No’ but his eyes say, ‘YES.’
It would really be a blow to the unions, but it WOULD take the $$$ out of politics in a BIG WAY - which is something the ‘Rats are ALWAYS harping about. *Rolleyes*
*SNORT*
Love My Gov!
Yes, Its so damned bad that MICHIGAN has embraced it and seen its economy improve.... what drivel these attempts to attack right to work are.
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