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Listen to thisWisconsin should pass Right to Work laws
Employees covered by state Right to Work laws cannot lawfully be required to pay any union fees to keep their jobs. Workers have the right, under the National Labor Relations Act, to refuse to join a union. However, some collective bargaining agreements – the contracts between the employer and the union – require a company to employ only union workers to do certain jobs. Employees can still be forced to join a union and pay union fees as a condition of employment.
Construction unions under law cannot have “closed union shops.” They get around the law by using only “hiring halls” to dispatch workers. A hiring hall is an organization, usually under the backing of a labor union, which has the responsibility of furnishing new recruits for employers who have a collective bargaining agreement with the union. The NLRA prohibits pre-hire agreements for all, except the construction industry.
Union bosses fear right to work. Journalists say Right to Work stops workers from unionizing. It doesn’t. It means unions themselves must become more responsive to members’ interests.
Right to Work, which lets workers choose whether to pay for union representation without risking their jobs, is a good idea. It’s about worker freedom and fairness.
Sallie Helmer
1 March 2015
http://www.fdlreporter.com/story/opinion/2015/03/02/wisconsin-pass-right-work/24156605/
