Right to Work Repeal Pushed in Nevada Legislature

Bill would force workers to pay union dues as a condition of employment

FOR RELEASE: May 19, 2003

Carson City, NV – Organized labor and its allies in the Nevada Legislature are right now trying to pass a bill to force tens of thousands of Nevada workers to pay union dues or “fees” as a condition of employment.

This legislation, A.B. 182, has already passed the Assembly and the Senate Labor Committee. A full Senate vote could occur at any time.

A.B. 182 would repeal Nevada’s popular Right to Work Law -- passed more than half a century ago -- which currently protects workers who choose not to join a union from having to pay union dues or fees in order to get or keep a job.

Introduced by Assemblywoman Ellen Koivisto of Las Vegas, the bill authorizes union officials to sue non-union workers in court for failure to pay union dues or “fees” equal to the cost of union membership dues.

After A.B. 182 was passed in the Assembly, the Senate Labor Committee changed it, but the amended bill would still gut Nevada’s Right to Work Law.

If the current version of A.B. 182 passes the Senate and is ratified by the Assembly, workers in Nevada would still be forced to pay the union bosses when they use union-controlled grievance procedures during disputes with their employers -- despite the fact that most have no other choice due to “exclusive representation” contracts union officials frequently negotiate with employers.

In letters to the Legislature and Governor Kenny Guinn, National Right to Work Committee® President Mark Mix summarized the Committee’s strong opposition to A.B. 182, saying, “No American should be made to join or support a labor union as a condition of employment or as protection against a lawsuit.”

Added Mr. Mix, “And no Nevada employee should be required to pay a private organization for ‘representation’ he or she didn’t ask for and wouldn’t support if given a choice.”

Nearly 8 out of 10 Americans oppose forced unionism, and that number is typically higher in Right to Work states like Nevada. And Nevada’s Right to Work Law is the only protection against forced unionism in Nevada today.

Nevada has benefited from this ban on forced unionism.

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, real personal income in Nevada grew by 69.4% between 1992 and 2002, while real personal income growth in non-Right to Work states lagged behind at an average 25% during the same period.

And between 1987 and 2001, the number of Nevada workers covered by private health insurance more than doubled -- a 102.7% increase, as measured by the U.S. Census Bureau. During that time, forced-unionism states experienced only a 6% average increase in the number of workers with private health coverage, while the average Right to Work state enjoyed a 17% increase.

If Organized Labor’s allies in the state legislature are successful in repealing Nevada’s Right to Work Law, it could be a serious blow to the state’s economy at a vulnerable time.

Studies have shown that Right to Work states are economically stronger during recessions, as well as during more financially prosperous times.

For example, a Commerce Department Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) report issued in 2001 revealed that during the recession of 1989-92, real gross state product (GSP) in Right to Work states grew by 6.4%, compared with 1.8% growth in forced-unionism states.

During the subsequent economic boom of the 1990s, GSP growth in Right to Work states continued to outpace that of non-Right to Work states, according to the BEA report.

The National Right to Work Committee® is urging concerned Nevada citizens to contact their legislators to express their opposition to A.B. 182, the Right to Work repeal bill.

For more information, please contact Kirsten Andersen at (800) 325-7892.