Labor Policy
October 1, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
We affirm the time-honored right of individuals to voluntarily participate in labor organizations and to bargain collectively. We also believe that no American should be coerced into an association they do not wish to join. And no one should be kept out of a job for which they are qualified simply because they choose to remain independent of labor unions. We therefore support the right of states to enact Right-to-Work laws.
In a time of a slowing economy, why would we want to make the business climate increasingly worse? According to the National Institute for Labor Relations, states with so-called “Right to Work” laws experienced twice the job growth as “forced union” states from 1995-2005. In recent years, all of the new auto factories have been built in “Right to Work” states while states with the highest union membership per capita, like Michigan and Ohio, have gone through a sizeable downturn in their economy. Furthermore, a “forced union” requirement is a violation of one of America’s greatest constitutional rights, namely, freedom of association.
When it comes to paycheck protection statutes, it is purely a matter of principle. When a union member pays union dues, some of that money matriculates into a political fund to give contributions to candidates and conduct independent expenditure campaigns, often for causes and candidates whose values run contrary to those of the union member. There have even been instances where a union member, who decided to run for office, ends up contributing to their competitor through this system.
Davis-Bacon laws, originally drafted by Republicans in the early part of the 20th century, are costly and often a roadblock to progress in that they force the federal government to pay the “prevailing” wage in the area for any project work done on its behalf. However, Democrats oppose any suspension of such laws in the event of a natural disaster or other declared emergency, often times slowing reconstruction and hindering the recovery of areas hit hardest by an emergency.