Indianapolis, Indiana – Today, Mark Mix, President of the 2.6 million-member National Right to Work Committee, praised the Indiana House and Senate for passage of the Indiana Right to Work Law.

Mr. Mix said, “This is a great day for Indiana’s workers and taxpayers.

“After a ten-year struggle involving hundreds of thousands of mobilized Hoosiers, Indiana will finally be able to enjoy all the benefits of a Right to Work law,” said Mr. Mix.

“Today, the Indiana Senate passed the Right to Work Bill by a vote of 28 to 22. The bill has already passed the House, so it now goes straight to Governor Daniels, who has vowed to sign it, making Indiana America’s 23rd Right to Work state,” continued Mix.

Mr. Mix continued, “The Right to Work Law will free nearly 200,000 Hoosiers who have been forced to pay tribute to a union boss for the privilege of getting up everyday and going to work so they can provide for their families.”

Proponents of the bill expect that passage of the Right to Work law will provide significant economic benefits for Indiana and Indiana workers.

For the past decade, non-agricultural employment in Right to Work states grew twice as fast compared to that in non-Right to Work states like Indiana, according to data from the Department of Labor.

“On the job front,” said Mr. Mix, “virtually every site selection consultant on record has testified that as many as half of their clients will not even consider expanding or relocating to non-Right to Work states.”

Governor Daniels experienced this problem firsthand, reporting recently that when Volkswagen was looking to build a production facility in America, he was unable to get the company to even return his phone calls.

Volkswagen ended up choosing to open its new facility in the Right to Work state of Tennessee.

Today’s action makes Indiana the first Right to Work state in the Manufacturing Belt, and supporters say it will give Hoosiers a significant advantage over all of its neighbors and the rest of the 27 non-Right to Work states.

“Besides enjoying an influx of new jobs, Right to Work states also enjoy higher personal income,” said Mr. Mix.

In particular, Mr. Mix drew attention to a study by Dr. Barry Poulson, a past president of the North American Economics and Finance Association and also a professor of economics at the University of Colorado, who compared household incomes in 133 metropolitan areas in Right to Work states with those of 158 metropolitan areas in non-Right to Work states.

“Among other results, he found that the average real income for households in Right to Work state metro areas, when all else was equal, was $4,258 more than non-Right to Work state metro areas,” said Mr. Mix.

Mr. Mix concluded, “I want to take a moment to thank Governor Daniels, House Speaker Bosma, Senate President Long, bill sponsors Jerry Torr and Carlin Yoder, and the men and women of the Indiana Legislature who stood up for the rights of the individual worker and voted to pass Right to Work.

“But most of all, I want to thank the thousands of dedicated Hoosiers who have stood up over the years to demand passage of the Indiana Right to Work Law.”

Washington, D.C. (May 11, 2011) – In response to New Hampshire Governor John Lynch’s veto of the New Hampshire Right to Work Bill (H.B. 474), National Right to Work Committee President Mark Mix released the following statement:

“In a state that prides itself for its independence and love for liberty, Governor Lynch’s veto of the New Hampshire Right to Work Bill is unconscionable.

“Governor Lynch has turned his back to the tens of thousands of New Hampshire workers who are forced to pay tribute to union bosses just to get or keep their jobs, as well as the nearly 80 percent of New Hampshire citizens who support the Right to Work principle.

“Forcing workers to pay for the privilege to provide for their families is wrong, and while a Right to Work law in New Hampshire would guarantee individual worker freedom, it would also boost the state’s economy.

“Over the last decade, the average Right to Work state outpaces New Hampshire in real personal income growth and private-sector job creation. According to PHH Fantus, America’s longtime leading relocation firm, half of all companies considering a relocation or expansion automatically rule out states like New Hampshire that don’t have Right to Work laws.

“Forced unionism also hurts young workers the most, with millions of young adults and their children ‘voting with their feet’ by moving to Right to Work states. In fact, New Hampshire’s population of 25-34 year-olds shrunk by over 15 percent from 1999 to 2009, while the young adult populations in Right to Work states collectively increased 20 percent.

“I urge the New Hampshire General Court to override Governor Lynch’s veto and protect the freedom of every worker in New Hampshire.”

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The National Right to Work Committee, established in 1955, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, single-purpose citizens’ organization dedicated to the principle that all Americans must have the right to join a union if they choose to, but none should ever be forced to affiliate with a union in order to get or keep a job. It’s web address is www.nrtwc.org.

Thank you for coming today. I have a brief statement about the National Right to Work Committee’s joint multi-media campaign with the Indiana Right to Work Committee, and then I’ll take your questions.

This $100,000 media campaign, which has been kicked off with an initial ad running this morning in the Indianapolis Star, will also include mail, phones, internet, a state-wide newspaper ad buy and hopefully TV and radio advertising.

Our objective will be to urge Hoosier citizens to put pressure on Speaker Brian Bosma and Governor Mitch Daniels to use their Constitutionally-granted authority to force the Democrats to return to work and hold roll-call votes on the Indiana Right to Work Bill.

More than four weeks ago, Indiana Democrats fled to Illinois to avoid voting on Right to Work because they understood if allowed to come to the floor for an up-or-down vote, the Right to Work Bill would pass and become law.

The good news is, the Indiana Constitution requires legislators to legislate.

And the Indiana Constitution, which requires a quorum of two-thirds, is also very clear on what to do about a walk out.

Should legislators refuse to perform the jobs they were elected to do, the Indiana Constitution allows the majority party to authorize stiff fines and seek other remedies to force law-breaking legislators to return to work.

Currently, Speaker Bosma is fining the Democrats who fled to Illinois a measly $350.

The truth is, the Democrats know that these fines can easily be covered by the union bosses’ “special funds,” which is why they’ve done little or more than chuckle at this threat.

Unless they want to continue being a laughingstock, it’s time for Speaker Bosma and Governor Daniels to start showing some backbone and force the Democrats to come back to work.

To force the Democrats to come back to work, Daniels and the Republican majority should impose a $10,000 a day fine on each legislator until they return to work.

If the Democrats still don’t return, the sitting legislature should take out liens on their property to force them to do the job they were elected to do.

This would get the Democrats to come back to work, and the people of Indiana could get what they voted for on Election Day 2010 — including Right to Work.

The fact is, if passed, an Indiana Right to Work law would simply state that Hoosiers cannot be forced to pay dues or fees to a labor union as a condition of employment.

And as the Governor has conceded in the past, forced unionism has put Indiana at an enormous disadvantage when compared to those states with Right to Work laws.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s own statistics reveal that while Right to Work states were busy gaining jobs, Indiana has continued to lose them.

Over the past decade, private-sector employment increased by 3.7% in Right to Work states, but fell by 8.8% here in Indiana.

PHH Fantus, the nation’s longtime leading business relocation firm, explained that at least half of all businesses automatically eliminate non-Right to Work states like Indiana when relocating.

And those jobs Indiana has been missing out on are good, high-paying jobs.

In fact, over the past decade, real personal income in Right to Work states grew by nearly 30% — more than three-and-a half times that of Indiana!

So no matter how you look at it — whether from a moral or economic standpoint — a Right to Work law would be good for Indiana.

And Hoosiers overwhelmingly support passage of Right to Work.

In fact, according to their own private Republican polling, by a majority of 72% to 25%, Indiana voters support passage of a Right to Work law in the Hoosier state.

Not only that, but the numbers Republicans have in the legislature if translated to Congress would be a 261 to 174 GOP edge in the U.S. House and a 74 to 26 majority in the U.S. Senate.

With such a large majority, Republicans clearly have the votes to pass the Right to Work Bill, which is why the Democrats fled to Illinois in the first place.

After three roll-call votes on Right to Work, a public hearing and dozens of state legislative candidates campaigning on ending forced unionism in Indiana, the message is clear:

Right to Work is poised to pass in Indiana because that’s what Hoosier citizens want.

But despite all this, Speaker Bosma and Governor Daniels have agreed to defeat Right to Work in an attempt to appease the union bosses.

Thus, if Speaker Bosma and Governor Daniels continue their policy of appeasement, they will be as much to blame as the Democrats for killing Right to Work by their refusal to stand up and fight.

This multi-media ad campaign is designed to mobilize public pressure on Governor Daniels and Speaker Bosma to stop trying to appease the union bosses and instead pass Right to Work.

Time is past due for Governor Daniels and Speaker Bosma to show leadership and pass Right to Work instead of sabotaging it.

Thank you again for coming. I’ll now take your questions.

Right to Work President applauds legislation that would prevent union officials from extracting union dues from workers as a condition of employment

Washington, DC (March 8, 2011) – Responding to Senator Jim DeMint’s introduction of a National Right to Work Act, National Right to Work Committee and National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation President Mark Mix issued the following statement:

“We’re extremely pleased that Senator DeMint has introduced a National Right to Work Act, intensifying a growing debate about labor law and worker freedom. This legislation would enshrine the common-sense principle – already enforced in 22 states – that no worker should be compelled to join or pay dues to a union just to get or keep a job.

“In an age of legislative overreach, this is one of the shortest bills ever introduced. A National Right to Work Act does not add a single word to federal law. It simply removes language in the National Labor Relations Act that gives union officials the power to extract dues from nonunion workers.

“The case for Right to Work has always rested on the principles of employee freedom, but passage of a National Right to Work law will also pay economic dividends. Studies demonstrate that Right to Work states enjoyed nearly seven percent private sector job growth over the past decade while their forced-unionism counterparts lost nearly three percent of their private sector jobs. On average, Right to Work states experienced over 20 percent GDP growth during the same period, compared to just seven percent growth for states without Right to Work protections. Moreover, citizens are increasingly voting with their feet and leaving non-Right to Work states in droves for their Right to Work neighbors

“The Right to Work principle is also popular with the public. Polls consistently show that 80 percent of Americans believe that no worker should be forced to join or pay dues to a union just to get or keep a job.

“A National Right to Work Act enshrines worker freedom while providing significant economic benefits. For Senator DeMint’s colleagues, who will now consider the legislation, my question is simple: What’s not to like?”

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The National Right to Work Committee, established in 1955, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, single-purpose citizens’ organization dedicated to the principle that all Americans must have the right to join a union if they choose to, but none should ever be forced to affiliate with a union in order to get or keep a job. Its web address is www.nrtwc.org.

March 10, 2010

National Right to Work Vice President Blasts the Police and Firefighter Monopoly Bargaining Bill in Testimony to Congress

Big Labor power grab would be a disaster for workers, taxpayers and struggling state economies

Washington, D.C (March 10, 2010) – National Right to Work Committee Vice President Doug Stafford, urged members of Congress to oppose H.R. 413/ S.1611, the Police and Firefighter Monopoly Bargaining Bill in a hearing before the House Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions this morning.

As detailed in Mr. Stafford’s testimony, if it becomes law H.R. 413 and S. 1611 would force monopoly bargaining on every police officer, firefighter, and emergency medical technician (EMT) in the country, putting them under the monopoly control of union bosses. Mr. Stafford blasted the bill as “yet another bill in a long line of paybacks to union bosses,” in his testimony before the House HELP Subcommittee:

“First, let’s be clear. The ultimate goal of this legislation is to force every firefighter and police officer in the country under union boss control, whether the individual public safety officers want it or not. And whether state and local governments want it or not.

“Under monopoly bargaining, individual workers lose the power to speak for themselves in dealing with their employers, to the detriment of workers and taxpayers. In addition to imposing monopoly bargaining on countless workers, H.R. 413 and its companion bill in the Senate, S. 1611, would override state labor laws across the country.”

Currently, state and local governments have the authority to enter into monopoly bargaining agreements. Many have chosen to do so and many have not. But H.R. 413 and S. 1611 would grant the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) oversight of the labor-management laws of public safety workers in political subdivisions across the country, stripping localities of the right to govern themselves.

Mr. Stafford’s testimony also demonstrated how monopoly bargaining strains the already-vulnerable budgets of state and local government:

“This power comes with a price — H.R. 413 and S. 1611 would also have a detrimental impact on the budgets of state and local governments. Last year, Vallejo, California — where union bosses have already been granted control over public safety workers — went bankrupt after nearly 75 percent of its budget was spent on unionized police and firefighters. And today, despite a $26 billion state budget deficit, out-of-control public sector union bosses aren’t shouldering cuts or taking blame for the problems they’ve caused — they’re threatening strikes!

“In other states where union bosses have been granted monopoly bargaining privileges over public sector workers, we’re seeing the exact same thing. In fact, the Mayor of Lancaster, Pennsylvania recently stated that these struggling cities are ‘handcuffed’ by public sector monopoly bargaining.

“Put simply, passage of the Police and Firefighter Monopoly Bargaining Bill could be the last economic straw for already struggling communities. During these troubled economic times, the last thing Congress should be considering is a Big Labor power grab that would hurt workers and bust state budgets.”

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The National Right to Work Committee, established in 1955, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, single-purpose citizens’ organization dedicated to the principle that all Americans must have the right to join a union if they choose to, but none should ever be forced to affiliate with a union in order to get or keep a job. 

www.NRTWC.org

Worker Advocate says Nelson could once again be deciding vote

Springfield, VA – The National Right to Work Committee will begin today a television ad campaign in media markets throughout Nebraska to convince U.S. Senator Ben Nelson (D) to publicly oppose the Card Check Forced Unionism Bill (S. 560), or any other bill that gives union bosses more power over Nebraska workers, including voting to uphold a filibuster and oppose cloture when the bill comes to the floor.  (Video Link)

“With Big Labor ally Barack Obama in the Oval Office, the national union bosses see a golden opportunity to ram their power grabs through Congress, forcing millions of workers and hundreds of thousands of small businesses under union boss control,” said Doug Stafford, Vice President of the National Right to Work Committee.

“Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has repeatedly stated his intention to pass the Card Check Forced Unionism Bill or similar legislation.

“If ‘Card Check’ or a similar union boss power grab passes,” said Stafford, “employees nationwide will lose their right to a secret ballot during union elections.

“And once those workers are forcibly unionized without a vote, if the union bosses can stretch out contract negotiations past 90 days by making outrageous demands, Obama Administration bureaucrats will have the power to use this so-called ‘problem’ as an excuse to write a new labor contract and force its terms and conditions of employment upon those workers.

“What’s worse, recently, ‘ideas’ have been floated by Big Labor lobbyists for ‘Plan B’ legislation in an attempt to pull fence-riding Senators — like Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson — into their camp.

“One thing is certain: Whatever ‘final’ bill Big Labor’s allies stamp their approval on won’t be some watered-down ‘compromise’ bill that causes no harm to American workers and our fragile economy. Either way, workers’ rights will be trampled on by the U.S. Senate’s action.

“The vote on ‘Card Check’ could come up any day now, and with the vote tally on this bill likely to come down to the wire, Senator Nelson’s vote is absolutely critical.

“In the previous session of Congress, Senator Nelson voted in favor of this legislation.”

Said Doug Stafford, “Recently, Senator Nelson has claimed that he’s against both ‘Card Check’ and binding arbitration. But he refuses to say how he’ll vote on cloture.

“And as we recently saw on the healthcare bill, due to the partisan makeup of Congress, cloture is the only vote that matters.

“The fact is, if Big Labor can garner 60 Senators to break a filibuster on a cloture vote and get ‘Card Check’ to the floor, the union bosses’ allies will no longer need Senator Nelson’s vote to ram ‘Card Check’ or similar bills into law.

“Since 1999, 98 percent of all legislation that cleared the 60-vote cloture threshold ultimately passed into law.”

Doug Stafford continued, “Having cast the deciding vote on national healthcare legislation last week, breaking the filibuster against the bill, Big Labor’s allies in Congress know Senator Nelson is vulnerable to pressure.

“However, Senator Nelson should realize that he isn’t fooling anyone in Washington — or at home — by trying to play both sides.

“Hopefully, the TV Ad blitz will convince all opponents of forced unionism in Nebraska to apply some pressure of their own and contact Senator Nelson today, urging him to oppose the so-called ‘Card Check’ Bill or any similar bill — on every vote — before it’s too late.”

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