Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Right to Work. What Does It All Mean?


What's the big deal about Michigan's RIght to Work bill that passed yesterday?

For those of you that don't know Right to Work means that you can work in a union shop and not have to pay union dues or join the union. Granted, in most cases you get all of the benefits of union membership,  like higher wages, and better benefits all without having to pay a dime in union dues if you choose not too.

Why is this important? States that aren't Right to Work states tend to have higher wages and better benefits for workers in similar jobs. But that's not the only reason why it's important. The reason many states, most of which are republican controlled, have pushed Right to Work legislation is for political reasons. Most unions contribute heavily to Democratic candidates. Right to work legislation weakens the union thus weakens their support for Democratic candidates.

How do you? It could be for economic development reasons?  It could be, but then why are Police and firefighter unions exempt? Why? Because they tend to support Republican candidates. Thats why when the Wisconsin governor wanted to end collective bargaining it didn't cover police and firefighters unions. Which if you're trying to save money would be the first you would target since their benefits cost more than all other public unions combined.