Union-Backed Democrat Wants to Kill 22 Right-to-Work States
by LaborUnionReportElections have consequences.
In 28 states across the U.S., unionized workers can be forced to pay union dues or fees as a condition of employment. If workers refuse to pay the union, the union can order them to be fired from their jobs.
However, since 1947, the so-called Taft-Hartley Amendments to the National Labor Relations Act (passed over Pres. Harry Truman’s veto) enabled state legislatures to enact “Right-to-Work” laws which outlaw forced unionism. Currently, there are 22 “right-to-work” states…Unless Congressman Brad Sherman gets his way.
It’s not the first time he’s pushed it. In 2008, he actually introduced a bill that went nowhere. However, this time union-bought backed Democrat Congressman Brad Sherman’s effort to end Right-to-Work laws must be take a little more seriously.
On Monday, Rep. Sherman sent a letter to colleagues encouraging them to join his efforts to force workers to pay union dues by ending Right-to-Work laws.
With nearly $700,000 pumped into his campaign coffers over his career by Big Labor (12 out of his top 20 contributors are unions), there’s little wonder why the California Congressman would want to reward his backers. After all, California, (with all its fiscal issues) owes a lot to its unions.
Note: California is not a right to work state but its neighbors Arizona and Nevada are.
Contributor  |
Total |
Indivs |
PACs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers | $75,000 | $0 | $75,000 |
| American Assn for Justice | $73,000 | $0 | $73,000 |
| Credit Union National Assn | $71,819 | $6,250 | $65,569 |
| Machinists/Aerospace Workers Union | $71,500 | $0 | $71,500 |
| Teamsters Union | $68,000 | $0 | $68,000 |
| National Assn of Realtors | $67,750 | $1,000 | $66,750 |
| Carpenters & Joiners Union | $67,500 | $0 | $67,500 |
| United Auto Workers | $66,000 | $0 | $66,000 |
| American Institute of CPAs | $62,500 | $0 | $62,500 |
| American Fedn of St/Cnty/Munic Employees | $59,000 | $0 | $59,000 |
| Operating Engineers Union | $58,000 | $0 | $58,000 |
| Laborers Union | $55,000 | $0 | $55,000 |
| United Food & Commercial Workers Union | $52,500 | $0 | $52,500 |
| Time Warner | $51,400 | $38,900 | $12,500 |
| Specialty Merchandise Corp | $48,200 | $48,200 | $0 |
| American Federation of Teachers | $44,031 | $0 | $44,031 |
| Grobstein, Horwath & Co | $43,533 | $43,533 | $0 |
| Deloitte & Touche | $41,750 | $750 | $41,000 |
| National Education Assn | $40,000 | $0 | $40,000 |
| Service Employees International Union | $37,200 | $0 | $37,200 |
If Sherman and his colleagues succeed in getting a bill passed that ends workers’ right to work, President Obama would likely sign it and millions of Americans could be forced to pay a union or be fired if they become unionized.
This is why….
Elections have consequences
Get out and vote in November.
hat-tip: Alliance for Worker Freedom
cross-posted on RedState
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484 Comments
The entire nation should be right-to-work.
Maybe it's time to take up the cause of union busting. Fight with Alinsky. Or, just have every job imaginable move to the right-to-work states. If this congresscritter gets his way, outsource out of the country.
Let litigants convince companies to have safe practices, and let the market decide wages. We don't need unions for that.
It would see so many lawsuits from those states it would be locked up before it ever went into affect.
The forced union states chose that on their own, and if you take a look at the states closest to bankruptcy, they happen to all be blue on that map.
I wouldn't put anything past this congress, but the state AG's would flip over this one, and that's probably why it's failed in the past.
"California is not a right to work state but its neighbors Arizona and Nevada are." That may be one of the prime reasons why California is so angry about the ILLEGAL Immigration issue. The California small businesses who can do their jobs away from customers are leaving for Nevada and Arizona due to high labor and extreme business costs as taxes and fees associated with the mandatory union enviornment sap all opportunity to grow business.
It is pretty comedic having California try to push it's brilliant economic scheme on the rest of us though.
Exactly. No one should be forced to join a union.
The National Socialist Democrat Party however is owned by their union purple shirts, and if they can't get card check, they will just remove the competitive advantage that right to work states have.
Unions are completely un-America, Sherman is a piece of dog manure for doing this. This is naked payback for his contributors. An ever increasing minority of unionized workers imposing their rules on everyone. Outrageous!
AHHHHH! It just drives me CRAZY!!!
BTW, H.R.5175 – DISCLOSE Act is back! Bye, Bye 1st Amendment!!!!
A ton of business already have moved out of the country and out of those states, and it hasn't slowed them down a bit. They just keep raising taxes and ask the fed govt. for more money. Ya know, the real smart fixes that really get to the heart of the problem =/
You're absolutely right that the entire nation should be right-to-work. Unions have served their purpose and aren't needed any more. The left won't let them die though.
Will some one please,…..preferably with a back bone do something, anything with these criminals on the hill? Throw them in jail……Please, that's all we want! ….Well that's not all, but we'll talk about the rest later! First things first! : )
"California is not a right to work state but its neighbors Arizona and Nevada are." That's why they are doing better economically than California…
Public employee unions should be considered enemies of the Republic.
Union and ACORN offices should be taxed out of existence 1 week after conservatives win in November.
Your overlords have determined it is for your own good and they know better than you.
Non union right to worker wants to destroy at least 22 democrats so there dude, Id call that even.
I hope you're not holding your breath.
Is Sherman going to be held accountable when businesses move overseas? I guess businesses will again become the capitalist villians in the Democrats's meme.
The 2nd is not far behind…..
What would happen if the unions started losing money?? You know, pensions being cut off because there is no more cash in the coffers?? I really wish that people who REALLY wanted to WORK, would push the unions OUT of their states!! It could happen, if EVERYONE in one job refused to pay their dues!
lets reverse this and pass a law that unions have to pay citizens dues in all right to work states. the amount to be determined by a vote of the people
Oh of course not, I need to save my breath for when I yell at the tv. : )
Oh yea, BTW
Please sign the petition for NO "UN SMALL ARMS TREATY"! http://www.nagr.org/BrounUNsurvey1.aspx?pid=pu8
Please pass this around.. Thanks all!
The only reason for this attack on right to work states is the fact that they are doing so much better financially then their counter parts. That only proves that unions do not help workers. Free markets do. Less government equals more freedom.
What incumbents need to know is that the people are fed up with their utter lack of representation. These politicians do not get elected to go to Washington DC so THEY can decide what is best for us and then cram it down our throats. Let me put it in plain English…Stop deciding for us and just go to DC and protect our rights! THAT is what we elect and pay you to do! Is that so hard to understand?
We know our representatives actually do understand us. The New York Times reported that Democrats are skipping Town Hall meetings this summer because their constituents are still fuming and they don't want another repeat of last year's devastating get-togethers. Why would their constituents still be angry? Because last year's Town Hall meetings saw irate voters livid over the Healthcare debate, and yet, our representatives passed the catastrophic healthcare legislation, anyway. They can be absolutely sure that we remember their lack of concern for our views. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3k4LH1SZCU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AP-IM7maxbI&fe...
Restore the Republic
OMG, I know…. and it seems no one cares but me and you, and maybe a few others!
Outsourcing and moving is like chemo or radiation to the cancer that is unionized labor. It hurts it, but it might not necessarily kill it. We need to excise the tumors. How we do that, I don't know. Atlas will never shrug, because people need to provide for their families.
Red State/ Blue State? How will I ever keep them from being confused with the political Red State/Blue State….or is there a difference?
It's a one-two punch:
Over in the Senate, Harry Reid is pushing a bill which would REQUIRE the unionization of all state and municipal workers.
The labor cartel extortion rackets are really making a serious push to destroy the economy and enslave American workers.
I've worked union for many years, and at several union meetings we voted to change the way dues were dispersed in various funds. The main purpose of shuffling funds was to protect the union in case of a lawsuit. We were warned on many occasions that our union was one lawsuit away from folding…
Democrats clearly know their clients – the deflation of Obama's mystical power over the ill-informed leaves them with nowhere else to turn. I'm not sure how much it will help detestable leftist politicians to more openly hitch their wagons to detestable leftist union bosses, but I guess we'll see how that works out!
But then they get fired, and the unions get bailed out courtesy of us, the taxpayers, and then the workers with a backbone can't feed their daughters, their sons, their wives, their husbands. Unless we can all go off the grid (as liberal as it sounds) generating our own power, and our own food, it'll never happen.
This is strange: I thought we here in Washington state were a right-to-work state. Yet even the National Right to Work Legal Defense Fund (http://www.nrtw.org/) says we are a forced-unionism state.
Again, very strange as every company I've worked for in the last 15 years have informed me that we are a right-to-work state.
They'll have to pry my 220 from my dead hands.
Fact:Workers make less money in "Right To Work" states than in non-Right To Work States: http://www.bls.gov/cew/state2002.txt
MSMediacritic wrote:
""California is not a right to work state but its neighbors Arizona and Nevada are." That's why they are doing better economically than California… "
From the BLS link above:
Average annual wages in California=$41,419
Average annual wages in Arizona=$34,036
Average annual wages in Nevada=$33,993
Union busting is helped by those on the inside. What lawsuit would make it fold? There's a new media headline in that story…
They'd just pass a law to bail them out.
Dues are taken, much like withholdingtax. You don't refuse to pay, you have to fight in court to be exempt from payment. One woman I know of spent two years fighting the teachers' union because she had a religious objection to the unions always backing pro-abortion candidtes. She has to pay a small portionof the dues, however, and again, it took two years of legal battles.
Unions are evil.
Take the cost of dues off those salaries and what do you have?
yes you are you have the right to work if your in a union.
Yeah, and the cost of living is a lot higher in California, that's why I left. Been there, done that.
Unions have destroyed the work place accountability. Thats why Californian's are paying for the sub-standard Bay Bridge being built in Shanghia China. Maybe Sherman and Pelosi can explain why they let all the unemployed Californians down. I guess all the union shops in CA are just too expensive to hire.
Lawsuits take money to defend against. A sexual harassment charge, discrimination charge. In my union, I have worked with exactly 1 black sheet metal workers in 6 years…A frivolous lawsuit here, a frivolous lawsuit there, and my union would have been bankrupt.
A higher average salary or hourly wage of workers does NOT always equal a better economic footing of the state in which those workers are employed. MSMMC's "they" meant the state's people as a whole, not individual workers. (MSMMC, correct me if I am wrong.)
NY and CA are excellent examples. These states are in deep financial trouble, in part because of the strain which the pensions of union workers place on the states' economies and budgets. (Fiscal irresponsibility on the part of their Democratically-controlled legislatures, bowing to the whims of special-interest groups is to blame overall.)
Let's look at state spending per capita, fiscal yr 2007 (BEFORE Obama), courtesy of http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/show/287.ht...
CA: $6417
AZ: $4532
NV:$4253
And here's my messed up state of NY…
NY: $7846
You beat me to it, I was going to say…. the cost of living is lower in all the right to work states…..can you figure out WHY BB??
The constant circumventing of the system is the genius behind this regime….I always knew Lawyers would be the demise of this nation.
To quote Charlton Heston, "I'll give you my gun when you pry it from my cold dead hands."
In fact, my union has turned a blind eye to employers who do not pay travel time on numerous occasions. I was told straight-up that if I wanted to pursue a travel pay complaint that I should stay home instead of working. I was driving 70 miles one-way to work. Some Fridays took 2-3 hours to get home through traffic. They change the dispatch area to suit their needs. My only complaint with it, really, was it put a hardship on the ones who do play by the rules. They get under-bid by the cheaters.
That is how I feel!!!
I have the P220 Stainless… it's SWEET!
Join http://www.opencongress.org... it is great, all the bills are on there and you can comment, oppose, approve, etc!
Join http://www.opencongress.org... it is great, all the bills are on there and you can comment, oppose, approve, etc!
All of the states in the above map that are non right to work states are blue or swing….Montana is the only exception I see which is a red state. But then Montana has a lot of Californicators that have moved to their big cities, Bozeman and Missoula, so they are being taken over by the elites too….
Guess which states have the best economies? What a coincidence that it is the Right-to-Work states! These libtards must be stopped.
At this point the only realistic way looks to be if the forced union states themselves finally admit they can't sustain their economy with it. They certainly can't grow, and they lose more of their tax base every year.
I'm not sure how bad they'll let things get before that happens. It seems dems don't mind destroying their state as long as they get that campaign contribution dough.
MIchigan is another example of what happens when unions and Dems are in control and run so many levels of government.
Too bad such a lovely state has been utterly trashed by the union/statist/entitlement mentality.
I know….I live in Michigan.
Thumbing my rebuttal down does not make the facts any less true, BBHaywood.
here are some FY08 numbers, courtesy of http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.j...
CA:$5311
AZ:$3804
NV:$3532
and, again, NY: $5961
Go ahead and pan this reply too, if it makes you feel better.
I see you panned everyone else who did not agree with you. Sad. I begin to understand why you have such a low rating. When you grow up, let us know- we might take you seriously then.
I can see a second Civil War coming: democratic-socialistic, leftist, liberal, pro-union, un-american, restriction-loving obamatrons vs. conservative, republican, right-to-work, right-to-live, pro free market, anti-everything-wrong-with-today's-goverment, freedom-loving, 'true' Americans.
So what happens when a union goes bankrupt? Does it fold and then the workers rejoice over their new-found freedom? Or do the sheep join the next bigger union? Or does the union get on tax-funded life-support?
Yes. But a very, very dark comedy. Imagine a Martin Scorsese remake of Caddyshack. But this time Carl Spackler is modeled after Travis Bickle.
I don't think we're angry enough for that. Yet.
Any lawer will tell you that perception trumps truth, and truth is the enemy of tyrants who hide behind lawers.
Rep. Sherman,
We look forward to your next visit to Texas which, as you know, is a strong right to work state. Please let us know when your flight arrives. We will be happy to send a car to the airport for you at our expense.
Looking forward to seeing you here in The Lone Star Repub..errrrrr State (for now anyway),
rockstone
Texas
HaHaHaHaHa.
And also, Rep Sherman, we would like to give you a complimentary bumper sticker that says
DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS.
you have no clue what the difference between 'earned pay' and 'take home pay' is….My neighbor is in a union, he earns almost $3.00 more an hour than I (non-union)-that's a $120.00 a week difference, guess what? I bring home more than he does. Neither of us have any dependants or any tax write-offs. And he's been laid-off twice in the last 2 years…..Things that make you go hmmmm….
Unions, my @ss!
All my weapons are black. Even my Wakazashi is black, but a SS gun is a lot easier to maintain. My last Stainless gun was an Automag. It shot a wildcat round, a .308 win cut and necked down for a .357 slug. That thing set off car alarms.
Union troll. Just move on. Nothing new here.
I came pretty close to shooting mine this week.
This may explain why the Dems and Obama seemto show such a lack of care and or compassion towards the issues facing the following states;Louisiana, Arizona, Tennesee(Nashville floods) Lets say New York or Massachusetts had immigration issues, or oil spills, or floods,
I venture to guess the reactions would be far different,
Unions and Illegals go hand and hand they look to steal form the common working man, and unfortunatly have establishe d a tight grip on most of our elected officials….
We need a gaggle of Chris Christies to take control of congress and put these criminals back where they belong
Just my opinion
I think we should go all out for the Honorable Rep. Sherman. After all, he is an important man and should receive nothing but the best. Forget the bumper sticker, let's tattoo it on his ass (Or across his neck, who wants to see his fat ass?) and then send him back to CA to spread the good word.
I have actually thrown stuff at my TV. I heard there are foam ACME bricks one can buy so one doesn't hurt the TV.
Who has the $$ for a new one?
I guess Sherman hasn't been reading how well the Unions take care of their own..They spend
all the money that is supposed to be for their members pensions, and let the taxpayers bail them
out so they could steal more of the pension money to give to Congressmen like him!!
I imagine the collective bargaining ends and working men and women negotiate their own wages and benefits. Then, the sheep that were grazing for the longest will whine to high-heaven, or most likely to 0bama and liberal clowns for some tax-funded life-support. Does that sound plausible to you?
I did discover that you can actually cover his little pin-head with one finger. I'm sure, I don't need to tell you which one.
HaHaHaHa Oh Man, you're killin' me here. Actually, I wouldn't mind seeing his fat ass after giving him a complimentary box of ammo.
Can anyone save me the time to look it up and tell me who is running against Rep. Sherman? I'd be happy to contribute to his opponent!
LOL Good one….thanks I needed that!
LOL–I was wondering the other day, what kind of names our Founders called King George cause I think O is an MFer. Do you think they called Georgie that?
I am union (not by choice), and I have no option to not pay. It is automatically taken out of my check. I was given the choice of being non-union and paying "fair share" fees or joining the union and paying "union dues". Funny how the fees/dues are the exact same cost to me, and again, I don't have a choice in the matter, it must be paid.
The only real difference between the two options is that if I am union, I get to vote. So I chose to join the union and vote against their wishes every single time.
If Cali wants to play that game….maybe it's time those 22 states "withheld" aid since California's up to their ass in debt and headed for default and a national bailout.
Time we shoved their smug "we are the world" faces right back in their own mess!
Dear California. Sorry we can't loan you money to fund free love and nickel beer. Why don't you go to your precious UNIONS, see if THEY WILL BAIL URASS OUT AND SAVE YOU FROM DEFAULT! I'm sure they will. They're sooo noted for their "milk of human kindness" approach to money….right?
BRING IT LA LA LAND!
Bet your finger doesn't cover those big dumbo ears.
Seems to me that banning right to work states would only make the unions even more unpopular.
It takes a fist to do that…
America needs to CLEAN HOUSE! including "The People's White House" & ALL Liberals,& "Union backers" in Nov.
The Unions also LOVE THE ILLEGALS.They want their 40Million Votes for Obama! by giving them Amnesty under the CODE: "comprehensive immigration reform" Reject that! Immig. Reform. IS saddeling America with 40Million criminals, Terrorists, Be-headers, Drug Cartels! who DRAIN our Health, Education & Welfare Systems? OUR BRAVE SOLDIERS, RETURNING FROM WAR, COULD USE THOSE JOBS!Deporting Illegals will kill the UNIONS!
I think O's more attracted to his own sex, where Geoge, though crazy, was a hetero…
I need a nap. Wake me when the shooting starts. Wouldn't want to miss the revolution…
[...] » Union-Backed Democrat Wants to Kill twenty-two Right-to-Work States … [...]
I understand the point made by all the responses….I still wish there were a reasonable way OUT!
The beauty in that is if your target is upwind and you miss…you can track them because the noise will make 'em shite their pants!
IF you miss…
Hey everybody, stop worrying. Uncle Joe Biden just said the stimulus is working. The weatherization of 32,000 homes has revived the economy.
Whew, that was a close one. Thanks Uncle Joe!
I am a registered Democrat in Brad Sherman's district. In the June 8 primary he was the only candidate on the Democratic ballot.
He has just earned my vote against him in November. I have never been in favor of manditory union dues.
Yeah, O's definitely a homo.
Who would be your other choice?
Higher taxes losing freedom.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3StVNtRlpY&fe...
Biden should take a look at the Real Estate market. It's toast. There is maybe one home for sale in my neighborhood.
Support Right to work legislation. Oppose unions unless you want socialism and imposed slavery. Remember that union workers do not have the right to determine how their dues are used. That rests in the handsof their socialist, union bosses. Why do you think seiu is 90 million dollars in debt? It is due to the misuse of union funds to persue a political agenda not necessarily to benefit members.
Years ago unions were necessary. Now not so much. We have both state and a federal Labor Relations Board to assist the worker.
Contact your congressmen and senators to stop this action. BTW, forced membership is unconstitutional.
The Republican candidate is Mark Reed, I probably will vote for him.
http://www.markreedforcongress.com/
I think looking into that barrel would loosen their bowels…
I, myself, don't have a problem with homosexuals. I just wish our dear leader would own it. Then he could step out in his little black leather codpiece. Rham, could lead him around on the end of a leash….
Yea, it's a pretty big HOLE to stare down at….. knowing the a Power Ball 45 ACP is about to come out of it!
If it was up to me, the Republic would have already voted CA out of the U.S., and they would not be allowed back in until they could prove economic stability.
The state is run by a bunch of jokers that don't care at all about the fate of the state or their effect on other Americans, and they assume they will be bailed out by the rest of us (they already have in large part). We could remove the largest union backed state as well as the largest small-but-way-too-powerful environmental lobby all at once.
Let the environmental nuts pay for their own projects or destroy their own economy, not the rest of ours.
Let's see if Hollywood can support a state while the rest of the businesses they hate move out.
The left better not mess with Virginia. We are content because we had a conservative sweep all the way down the ticket last November. We have a governor that is doing a great job cleaning up the mess that Warner and Caine created here.
My husband and I voted with our feet and moved from WI to VA. The property taxes in WI are 3x higher than VA. Gas is cheaper here too.
Otherwise, if they mess with the states below the Mason Dixon Line–The South will RIIIIIISE again!
Seriously, unions are the biggest parasite this nation has ever seen. Under qualified, under educated but politically protected at the dtriment of all of society. I have found myself personally dislking people I know are members of unions. Unions need to be completely busted, and federal employee unions should be made illegal.
WAY outdated info (see today's moocher article) which does not factor in the MASS exodus of business FROM California TO Nevada over the last decade. It also does not factor in the rampant and insane inflation California has compared to NV.
Nice try lib, but facts and logics always trump liberal unicorns.
Actually, I think we are already in a civil war (lower case "c")
Some of us are being very civil in our war against socialism and corruption in Washington.
Yep- in Union Shop states they're overpaid. Does stand to reason, that.
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