National Right to Work Committee®
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We at the National Right to Work Committee are fighting at many levels to protect America's working men and women's right to decide for themselves whether or not a union deserves their financial support.
Whether it be in the state and federal legislatures, the courts, or hearing rooms at the FEC or the NLRB, we fight to ensure that workers join unions because they want to – not out of fear or federal mandate.
Please become an active member by pledging a monthly gift, or by helping us financially on one of the specific legislative efforts highlighted above.
U.S. Representative Jeff Miller Signs On to Forced-dues Repeal Bill
Right to Work Bill Would Bar Firing Workers For Refusal to Pay Union Dues; Congressional Leaders Urged to Schedule Votes on 'Much Needed Reform
FOR RELEASE: August 4, 2003
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In another sign of the growing support for the National Right to Work Act in the U.S. Congress, on July 18, 2003, Florida Representative Jeff Miller (R, Dist. 1) signed on as cosponsor of a bill to repeal the federal labor-law provisions that authorize the firing of employees for refusal to pay dues to a union.
Paying heed to the overwhelming majority of Right to Work supporters among their constituents, a total of 103 legislators to date have signed on in support of H.R. 391, the National Right to Work Act.
H.R. 391 was introduced in the U. S. House of Representatives on January 27, 2003 by U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC).
Under current federal labor law, millions of employees can be fired unless they pay dues or "fees" to union officials. H.R. 391 would bar such firings.
"We are hoping for congressional floor votes on this much needed reform," said Mark Mix, President of the 2.2 million member, Springfield, Va.-based National Right to Work Committee®.
"President Bush and leaders of both chambers of Congress are all on record in favor of forced-dues repeal," Mr. Mix explained. "I urge congressional leaders to schedule roll-call votes on H.R. 391 as soon as possible.
"Nearly eight out of 10 Americans support ending the federally imposed forced-dues system and returning to workers a right that never should have been taken away in the first place," he noted.
A 2001 national opinion survey by Political/Media Research, Inc. (Mason-Dixon), for example, showed that 77% of Americans support employees' Right to Work whether or not they choose to affiliate with a union.
"Compulsory unionism robs American workers of their freedom, corrupts our political system, and saps our economy of productivity and jobs," added Mr. Mix.
According to the U.S. Labor Department, between 1991 and 2001, non-farm employment in the 21 states that had Right to Work laws during that period grew by 30%, compared to just 18% in the 29 states that don't protect employees from federally-imposed forced-union dues.
And between 1989 and 2002, real personal income grew by 54% in Right to Work states, compared to 35% in forced-dues states.
In September 2001, Oklahoma passed the nation's 22nd state Right to Work law and within six months was leading the nation in non-farm job growth.
During the period between September 2001 and March 2002, the U.S. suffered a net loss of nearly three million jobs, but Oklahoma was the only state in the union to see a net gain in jobs. Prior to passage of the Right to Work Law, Oklahoma's non-farm job growth was less than half the national average.
Concluded Mr. Mix, "All Americans deserve to see the benefits of a National Right to Work law. With the President and leadership in both houses of Congress on record in support of ending forced unionism, right now is an excellent opportunity to hold roll-call votes on legislation that would restore a basic freedom to American workers."
For more information about the National Right to Work Act, contact Kirsten Andersen at (800) 325-7892.