House Bill 1468: Right to Work has three aspects:
- Makes it a Class A misdemeanor for an employer to require an individual to: (1) become or remain a member of a labor organization; (2) pay dues, fees, or other charges to a labor organization; or (3) pay to a charity or another third party an amount that represents dues, fees, or other charges required of members of a labor organization; as a condition of employment or continuation of employment.
- Establishes a separate private right of action for violations or threatened violations.
- Exempts individuals employed in the construction industry, employed by the United States, or subject to the federal Railway Labor Act.
- At a time when the state revenues are tight, Indiana must look for opportunities to create an economic impact for little or no cost. Becoming a Right-to-Work (RTW) has no cost and would significantly improve Indiana’s economic competitiveness while providing more liberty to individual workers.
- Right-to-Work is not an attack on workers, their wages, or the unions. It doesn’t prohibit workers from voluntarily joining a union, it only prevents workers from involuntarily joining a union.
- It simply gives hard-working Hoosiers the choice to give part of their income to a union, or not. Especially in tough times like these, no worker should be forced to give part of their paycheck to an organization just to keep their job.
- For workers who’d rather keep their paychecks, passing Right-to-Work is equivalent to giving those workers a raise.
- The President of the Indiana AFL-CIO commented in a House Labor Committee hearing on February 15 that they support employees’ right to freedom of association. Right-to-Work guarantees that workers have the freedom of association -- whether their choice involves a union or not.
- Because many companies decide to expand or relocate only in RTW states, Indiana could increase the number of opportunities to attract companies by approximately one-third, according to both Republican and Democrat economic development officials. Northeast Indiana has heard this feedback from several site-selectors.
- Ultimately, becoming a RTW state isn’t about having a high-paying job or a low-paying job; it is about having a job or not having a job. That statement is supported by data since the average unemployment rate in RTW states is consistently below the average of the other states.
- Over the past 30 years Northeast Indiana’s per capita income has decreased from above the national average to less than 78 cents on the dollar.
- Our region has been hit hard by the changing economy and the subsequent unemployment, with many of our counties topping Indiana’s unemployed charts—we can’t afford to pass on this opportunity.
1 comment:
Thanks to Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce for posting their support with reasoning. Great Job!
Dev Piprottar
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