Five Reasons Why Congress Should Enact a National Right to Work Law

Published

http://www.nilrr.org/files/Five%20Reasons.pdf

  1. Freedom to Associate Also Means Freedom Not to Associate - The average man on the street, as well as constitutional scholars, understands that any genuine personal right should include the freedom to refrain from exercising that right.
  2. Right to Work Bolsters Job Creation, Personal Income Growth - In addition to freeing millions of Americans from the yoke of forced union dues, a national Right to Work law would at the same time help to improve our nation's economy.
  3. Right to Work's Benefits Reach Citizens at All Income Levels - In addition to protecting the freedom of association and promoting economic development, Right to Work laws are an anti-poverty program with a proven record of success.
  4. Passage of a National Right to Work Law Would Eliminate All Forced-Dues Politicking by Private-Sector Union Bosses - Not passing a national Right to Work law means not only that American workers will be denied a brighter economic future. It also means that millions of private-sector workers will continue to be forced to contribute to political candidates they do not wish to support.
  5. A National Right to Work Law Would Reduce Union Corruption - The incestuous relationship between forced union dues and corruption was captured perfectly by the late U.S. Sen. John McClellan (D-Ark.): "Compulsory unionism and corruption go hand in hand." McClellan was referring to the corruption inherent within labor organizations that depend on the forced tribute of workers.

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In 2006, average pay in so-called "right to work" states was 13.1 percent lower than in states where workers have the freedom to form strong unions.
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Yeah, great idea, let's make the whole country as lousy a place to work as the South is now ... :rolleyes:

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Specializes in Psychiatry.

Awesome! I'd LOVE to have AT LEAST 10 pts each shift and work 15 hour days in order to get everything done. Oh, and no overtime pay. :confused:

Sweet! Sign me up :idea:

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Specializes in ICU/CCU/TRAUMA/ECMO/BURN/PACU/.
Awesome! I'd LOVE to have AT LEAST 10 pts each shift and work 15 hour days in order to get everything done. Oh, and no overtime pay. :confused:

Sweet! Sign me up :idea:

That's right. I think the overwhelming number of travel nurses I meet have signed up to get the heck away from those kind of working conditions--those that are lucky enough and have the ability to travel. The rest just burn out and quit the profession, except for those with cozy management jobs who sit in their insulated offices and blame direct care nurses when patients are harmed by the short staffing; and those who target direct care RNs when they become whistleblowers and fire them outright or bully and blackball them when they try to "exercise their rights to freedom of association" when forming a union.:uhoh3:

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It's hilarious how unionizers equate RTW with everything that is wrong with nursing! This is just another union version of trying to convince nurses that they are weak and oppressed and need the mighty union to save them. Y'all just keep letting others speak for you maybe next you'll let the union vote for you too...

The hospital where I work has a policy of no more than 5 patients per RN and no on-call time. We do get 1.5x pay for holidays. The idea that all traveling nurses are trying to escape RTW states is utterly ridiculous. Its probably closer to the fact that they are having to come to where the lovely unions are in order to take care of the patients they've abandoned during a strike!

As I have asked before with no response, where aren't the unions spreading like wildfire if they provide so many wonderful benefits? Why is the one hospital that was unionized in Texas now under decertification? I welcome the unions to come to Texas and TRY to organize TX nurses. It will be funny when they can't even get enough cards signed to envoke a vote!!

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Specializes in Psychiatry.
I

The hospital where I work has a policy of no more than 5 patients per RN and no on-call time. We do get 1.5x pay for holidays.

PIC-

You are certainly fortunate to have such good ratios. But let me ask you, what are the acuity levels of your 5 pts? Is this the norm on EVERY floor (med/surg included)??

If we did not have a union at our facility, we would have MORE than the 7 pts we are taking care of now. And that number is still ridiculous. It jeopardizes patient safety, not to mention our licenses. Our union contract is up for negotiation and mgmt thinks we need to do MORE. Are you kidding me????

I am very fortunate to belong to a labor union (MNA). We collectively agree that PATIENT SAFETY is our #1 priority. As it should be. And we will continue to negotiate for that.

Best,

Diane, RN

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Specializes in Psych , Peds ,Nicu.

The problem with maintaining the position that the work conditions in RTW states are so good is two fold . Firstly the number of posters on this forum from RTW states that describe the poor work conditions in such states and secondly the lack of responders who support this position .

As to saying that the reasons it is so hard to organize in a RTW state hasn't been addressed is BS as I know I have contributed some responses and I believe others have also .So stick to a valid argument , that does not overlook the opposing view when it is inconvenient to you are saying .

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Specializes in ICU/CCU/TRAUMA/ECMO/BURN/PACU/.

As I have asked before with no response, where aren't the unions spreading like wildfire if they provide so many wonderful benefits?

Response: The majority of American workers would exercise their rights to form unions if they could. Union membership provides many collective community, professional and social benefits. One reason why they aren't "spreading" is the FEAR created by:

UNION BUSTERS! BOUGHT AND PAID FOR BY THE SAME EMPLOYERS AND HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATORS WHO CLAIM THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO PROVIDE BETTER PATIENT STAFFING RATIOS, WAGES, HOURS, AND SAFER WORKING CONDITIONS.

But don't take my word for it. Check this out from Jeff Cohen, lecturer, author, and ACLU attorney who's also served on several civil rights boards including the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

USA: Union-busting States of America

If you doubt that the freedom to voluntarily join a labor union is a basic human right, think back ....

...(to the time) when President Ronald Reagan waxed eloquent about the right of workers in Poland to form unions. American pundits and editorial writers loudly hailed the right of Polish workers to join the Solidarity union.

But that was then.

Today, most U.S. media are quiet about another country where the right to organize unions has virtually disappeared. It's a country in which workers are often spied on, threatened or fired when they try to launch unions. It's a country known as the United States of America -- or perhaps that should be the Union-busting States of America.

On Labor Day weekend, media outlets tend to serve up parades and platitudes about the value of labor. You don't hear much outrage about American workers losing the right to form unions.

It's a nationwide story easy to document through firsthand accounts -- the kind of people-oriented news that media, especially TV, seem to love. Yet, you've probably never heard of:

Connie McMillan, a psychiatric nurse in Alabama. Last January, she hosted a private meeting in her living room, where 13 nurses signed union cards. Two days later, the hospital fired 10 of them. ''It's our right to belong to a union,'' said McMillan. ''I can't believe this is happening.''

Personal stories of union-busting like Connies are so vivid that it's remarkable how rarely they're explored in national media.

It is illegal -- in theory at least -- for companies to harass or fire workers for union activity or to refuse to recognize a union supported by a majority of the workers. But law-breaking is common in American workplaces, and corporations that engage in union-busting are often just slapped on the wrist by the National Labor Relations Board or the courts.

In ''Ties That Bind'' -- a documentary from the producers of the public TV series ''We Do the Work'' -- representatives for employers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce insist that ''labor law'' works just fine and that no reform is needed.

It's revealing that the same corporate interests lobbying successfully in Washington to undo decades of consumer, environmental and safety regulations don't want any changes at all in labor law or enforcement.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

There should never be a national right to work for less law! :mad: Those of us who will never be caught dead in the anti-union South etc. should not be subjected to the anti-union laws of anti-union states. Unions help even non-union workers by lifting a states wages for a particular position. Even if you are anti-union (an idea so foreign to me I won't even try to debate you) you should be glad the union is forcing the wages up higher for you. :confused: Even if that rankles you for some reason, it should be each individual state's business alone to decide how to treat the subject of unions and wages.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
Yeah, great idea, let's make the whole country as lousy a place to work as the South is now ... :rolleyes:

Exactly! :uhoh3:

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I can give my opinion to the questin asked here. Should Congress enact a national right to work law? I think their is a lot of work that Congress should be doing and I for one want them working on enacting a national healthcare plan like the one they have as members of congress. The list goes on and on about what I think congress should be working on and I really put the question raised here at the bottom of the list.

I think that if we want a union then we should be able to do it without the employer interfering. I also think that if there's a union in the hospital and if everyone is involved in impoving benefits and working condition then it will be a better place to work. If only some are involved then nothing much will change. The union fails if they don't know how to get everyone involved. If they are doing the job then I think most nurses will join given the choice.

In Texas they must not have done a good job and it sounds like the nurses got rid of the union. At least they have the right to make that change.

While I support your right to have your own beliefs and share your opinions here I don't agree with you that congress should be working on this issue. I think there are greater issues in this country for our elected officials to focus on.

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