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.
Conservatives have long argued that workers should be free from the
coercion that comes from forced union dues, and they believe that
right-to-work gives workers more choices. I understand their arguments.
Years ago, I was approached to organize the newsroom where I was
working at the time by a rep from the typographers union. I declined.
As a young reporter, I wanted the freedom to work as many hours as I
needed to learn the craft and felt the union might limit my ability to
do that.
But that said, I don't think workplace freedom is the real objective
here. This is about weakening unions.
James Sherk of The Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank,
wrote in a 2011 paper that right to work "makes unions less aggressive
and encourages business investment, creating jobs."
Does it really encourage job growth? (OMFG, YES).
(Continued)
