Right-to-Work Laws, Explained

[ellisonz]

Anti-union laws are spreading to new states. But do voters know what right-to-work really means?
—By Nicole Pasulka
| Fri Mar. 16, 2012 3:00 AM PDT

On Wednesday the New Hampshire House of Representatives passed a right-to-work law, returning the issue to Democratic Gov. John Lynch's desk for the second time in two years. The bane of organized labor for over half a century, right-to-work laws regained momentum in the United States after Republicans won historically sweeping victories on the state level in the 2010 midterm elections. In February, Indiana became the first state in a decade—and the first Rust Belt state—to enact one of the laws.

Jimmy Hoffa, the president of the Teamsters, has said that right-to-work proponents are waging a "war on workers," and Martin Luther King Jr. called right-to-work a "false slogan" and said the laws "rob us of our civil rights and job rights." But proponents of the laws believe they're necessary for the growth of manufacturing and business that can bolster states' weak economies. A lack of nationwide right-to-work legislation, they argue, has resulted in "abuses of workers' human rights and civil liberties."

So what is a right-to-work law, anyway?

No American worker can be forced to join a union. But most unions push companies to agree to contracts that require all workers, whether they're in the union or not, to pay dues to the union for negotiating with management. State right-to-work laws make these sorts of contracts illegal, meaning that workers in unionized businesses can benefit from the terms of a union contract without paying union dues. (Under federal law, unions must represent all workers covered by a contract, even if some of those workers are not members of the union and do not pay for the union's representation.)

More: http://motherjones.com/politics/2012/03/what-are-right-to-work-laws

23 States and counting - this is what we can look forward to with a Republican administration, economic war between the states and a diminishing middle class.

[louis-t]

1. The goal is to weaken unions further with a phony sales pitch

about "saving workers' rights".

[ellisonz]

2. They certainly have been clever...

...with the naming of such laws. We should call it "employment-exploitation-protection laws"

[socialindependocrat]

3. Do you have a more complete example?

Because I am in Delaware and the right to work says (something like) any business has to hire you if you qualify for the job BUT the business has the right to fire an employee without stating the reason. This basically says, my way or the highway and we accomplished very little in the way of enhancing employee rights and benefits. In fact, for the past 30 years we have lost money and benefits and have had no say in any matter. We just knew that every change the business made was to benefit them in dome wat and the employee always lost.

Do you have more information?

[ellisonz]

4. The way it works is that...

...if the union makes a contract with the employer workers are not obligated to join the union to work for the employer. That is different from workplaces where there is no contract and all employees are "at-will" meaning they can fire you without stating any reason, but at the same time if you can prove there was discrimination they can be liable for violation of Federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act. It's essentially an issue of contract law.

Here's some Delaware specific information: http://www.canmybossdothat.com/category.php?id=227&state=DE

[Rincewind]

5. That's not right-to-work,

that's at-will employment. Basically, at will is the law in almost every state, it means that the employer dosen't have to give a reason for firering you, they can't break any non discrimination laws, but they don't need a reason otherwise. They can't fire you for being black, or Jewish, but they can fire you for supporting the wrong football team, or any other reason, or no reason.

[socialindependocrat]

6. Who makes these stupid laws??

I seems like the strategy is to make as many laws as they can so it will take a lot of time and effort to get them repealed.

They should have a list of rules for making new laws.
They should benefit the majority of people
They should be focused on "WE THE PEOPLE"

It's difficult to keep up with all the rules our
elected officials are inventing.

Certainly, gay marriage, trans-vaginal ultrasound and
the voting I.D. laws show that these idiots are just
trying to make life difficult for their own reasons.
We've got to start making OUR government work
for the people!

BTW - Thank you for the additional information.