Right to Work Wrong for the Middle Class WRONG FOR TEAMSTERS

Stop Right to Work in 2012

What do you think?

Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to guarantee all citizens the individual freedom to decide to join or not join a labor union; to remain or leave a labor union; Yes ____ No ____

What do you think?

Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to guarantee all citizens the individual freedom to decide to join or not join a labor union; to remain or leave a labor union; or to pay or not pay dues, fees, assessments, or other charges of any kind to a labor union or any affiliated third party or charity, without having it affect their employment status? Yes ____ No ____

What do you think? Corporate Agenda for the 1%

Continuing Assault on Unions - NYTimes.com http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/opinion/sunday/continuing...

Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended Over the past year, politicians backed by big business and rich corporations to guarantee all citizens the individual have pushed right to work laws in Continuing Assault on U nions freedom to decide to join or not join a labor over 10 states. This is a national union; to remain and effort to take out unions or leave a labor union; eliminate working peoples voices in h;oihdfoi;wqhdo;ifhdo;if3hjpojdoi1jdojdoj3e3 the work place and in politics.
Reprints
This copy is for your personal, noncommercial use only. You can order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers here or use the "Reprints" tool that appears next to any article. Visit www.nytreprints.com for samples and additional information. Order a reprint of this article now. January 7, 2012

Along with their shameful campaign to curb the collective bargaining rights of public sector workers in Wisconsin and Ohio last year, Republicans in statehouses around the country are taking aim at private sector unions. Twenty-two states, mainly in the South and the West, have long had right to work laws forbidding contracts that require workers to pay union dues. After a decade in which business has ignored the issue, Republicans in more than 10 states over the last year have begun pushing similar laws. Indianas Legislature is expected to approve the antiunion legislation as early as next month.

;o2ih;oiqwehnoweqihncoifoichjnqowicjmljnoi jpoi? Voters, unionized or not, should recognize the new right Yes ____ to work push for what it is: bad No ____ economics and cynical politics.
There is little doubt that politics is also behind the Republicans push for right-to-work laws: they see an opportunity to further weaken unions, which are far more likely to support Democrats as well as health care reform and a higher minimum wage by slashing their funding and their donating power. The G.O.P. and its allies, like the Chamber of Commerce and brethren organizations, are trotting out the charge that unions reduce economic growth and jobs. It stands to reason that a union will reduce a companys profits somewhat, by obtaining a higher share for workers. But over the last three decades, economists have found that unionization has a minimal impact on growth and employment in an entire state or country. In fact, six of the 10 states with the highest unemployment have right-to-work laws. North Carolina, a right-to-work state, has a private sector unionization rate of 1.8 percent, the lowest in the nation. It also has the sixth highest unemployment rate: 10 percent.
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Many Republican leaders are adopting model legislation proposed by the American Legislative Exchange Council, a national corporate-financed conservative organization that is also assisting the Republican push to require voter identification cards to suppress the vote of minorities, young people and other constituencies that tend to favor the Democratic Party.

1/8/12 8:02 PM

Our Goals Today

Provide an overview of the Right to Work Constitutional Amendment . Practice talking about Right to Work. Plan next steps for you and your co-workers.

The process for Constitutional Amendments in Minnesota.

Simple Majority in the State House. Simple Majority in the State Senate. And And And And

Over 100 Anti-Labor bills were introduced last session. All were either vetoed by Governor Dayton, or defeated by our lobbying and political pressure.

What is Right to Work?

RTW makes it illegal for any group of employees to negotiate an agreement with their employer that requires everyone who benefits from a union contract to pay their share of the costs of administering that contract.

Corporate Agenda for the 1%

Continuing Assault on Unions - NYTimes.com http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/opinion/sunday/continuing...

Over the past year, politicians backed by big business and rich corporations have pushed right to work laws in over 10 states. This is a national effort to take out Unions and eliminate working peoples voices in the work place and in politics.

Reprints
This copy is for your personal, noncommercial use only. You can order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers here or use the "Reprints" tool that appears next to any article. Visit www.nytreprints.com for samples and additional information. Order a reprint of this article now.

January 7, 2012

Continuing Assault on U nions

Along with their shameful campaign to curb the collective bargaining rights of public sector workers in Wisconsin and Ohio last year, Republicans in statehouses around the country are taking aim at private sector unions. Twenty-two states, mainly in the South and the West, have long had right to work laws forbidding contracts that require workers to pay union dues. After a decade in which business has ignored the issue, Republicans in more than 10 states over the last year have begun pushing similar laws. Indianas Legislature is expected to approve the antiunion legislation as early as next month. Many Republican leaders are adopting model legislation proposed by the American Legislative Exchange Council, a national corporate-financed conservative organization that is also assisting the Republican push to require voter identification cards to suppress the vote of minorities, young people and other constituencies that tend to favor the Democratic Party. There is little doubt that politics is also behind the Republicans push for right-to-work laws: they see an opportunity to further weaken unions, which are far more likely to support Democrats as well as health care reform and a higher minimum wage by slashing their funding and their donating power. The G.O.P. and its allies, like the Chamber of Commerce and brethren organizations, are trotting out the charge that unions reduce economic growth and jobs. It stands to reason that a union will reduce a companys profits somewhat, by obtaining a higher share for workers. But over the last three decades, economists have found that unionization has a minimal impact on growth and employment in an entire state or country. In fact, six of the 10 states with the highest unemployment have right-to-work laws. North Carolina, a right-to-work state, has a private sector unionization rate of 1.8 percent, the lowest in the nation. It also has the sixth highest unemployment rate: 10 percent.

Voters, unionized or not, should recognize the new right to work push for what it is: bad economics and cynical politics.
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1/8/12 8:02 PM

American Legislative Exchange Council

ALEC exists specifically so that lobbyists and corporations can influence state legislative policies away from public view. At its meetings, held in some of the most exclusive resorts and hotels to ensure secrecy, corporate lobbyists share their wish lists of legislative proposals to be introduced at state capitols around the country. Legislators take this cookie-cutter legislation, make some changes to it, then introduce it in their own states, often without understanding the full impact of what they are proposing. With help from corporate political contributions, lobbyists then help move the legislation forward.

ALEC Goals
Protecting Corporate Tax Breaks. Protecting the wealthiest Minnesotans. Cutting or Downsizing Government. Cutting School Funding. Reducing Corporate Liabilities. Cutting Teachers C.B Rights / Cutting Public School System. Eliminating or Handcuffing their most formidable opponent

UNIONS!

ALEC s Minnesota Legislators: State Representatives Rep. Bruce Anderson (19A) Rep. Paul Anderson (13A) Rep. King Banaian (15B) Rep. Michael Beard (35A) Rep. Mike Benson (30B) Majority Leader Matt Dean (52B) Rep. Connie Doepke (33B) Rep. Steve Drazkowski (28B) Rep. Sondra Erickson (16A) Rep. Pat Garofalo (36B) Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer (16B) ALEC State Chairman Rep. Carol McFarlane (53B) Rep. Pam Myhra (40A) Rep. Joyce Peppin (32A) Rep. Linda Runbeck (52A) Rep. Ron Shimanski (18A) Rep. Dean Urdahl (18B) Speaker Kurt Zellers (32B)

Minnesota Legislators with ALEC Ties Senate Sen. Ted Daley (38) Sen. Chris Gerlach (37) Sen. Gretchen Hoffman (10) Sen. John Howe (28) Sen. Gen Olson (33) Sen. Mike Parry (26) Sen. Michael Jungbauer (48) Sen. Warren Limmer (32)

Misleading Claims
Right to work states have lower rates of unemployment.

No relationship between right to work and state unemployment rates

(RTW states in yellow)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, June, 2011

Since RTW was adopted, over 100 Oklahoma firms have closed their doors due to low-wage competition abroad.

Oklahoma manufacturing before and after Right to Work

RTW adopted

The Real Statistics!

Workers in states that have this law earn on average $5,538 less than workers in Minnesota. This is about $106 less each week. The median household income in states with this law is $6,185 less than in Minnesota. In states with this law workers are less likely to have job-based health insurance.

The Real Statistics

In states with this law workers are less likely to be insured. Poverty rates are higher in states with this law. States with this law spend on average $2,671 less per pupil on education. The rate on workplace deaths is 52.9% higher in states with this law.

Bad for all Minnesotans

For every $1 million in wage cuts, six jobs are lost in the local economy!
Doing the math including just Minnesota s 300,000 AFL-CIO union members, our state would lose nearly 10,000 jobs!

Number calculated by the Economic Policy Institute.

How Right to Work Weakens Unions

Fewer workers join or pay fair share

Lower wages, weaker worker protections & less pro-working family policy

Fewer union resources to represent workers

Less collective bargaining & ability to advance proworking family policy

Diagram based on LIUNA s Member Education on Politics and Civic Engagement PowerPoint.

What can we do?

Call your legislators. Write your legislators. Write an Op-Ed to news agencies. Talk to co-workers. Talk to family members and neighbors.

Messaging
We ve conducted a very extensive opinion poll that specifically focused on the correct language and verbiage that changes Right to Work from a positive issue for workers to a Unfair, Unsafe and Unnecessary issue.

Messaging
This is an irresponsible amendment and is a bad deal for middle class Minnesotans Because Its: Unfair, Unsafe and Unnecessary

Messaging
UNFAIR Tilts the balance even more toward corporations at a time when CEO pay has grown 364 times higher than what the average workers makes. Minnesota workers make companies profitable and we have to stop this unfair and irresponsible corporate power grab that benefits only the top one percent. Allows cheaters to game the system at the expense of employees who work hard and play by the rules. It s wrong that only some Union members would pay dues when all workers receive the benefits (fair share arguments).

Messaging
Unsafe Puts our everyday heroes and the safety of our families at risk by making it harder to negotiate for life-saving emergency equipment, nurse staffing and shorter response times. Could lead corporations to cutting corners to maximize profits, resulting in inadequate training and shoddy materials. We can t have another I-35 bridge collapse tragedy.

Messaging
Unnecessary No one can be forced to join a union; Supreme Court has ruled that dues can t be spent for political activities. It s just not needed. We don t need this risky amendment, especially because independent experts say it could lead to thousands of layoffs. Our state has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, our manufacturing is now the strongest sector of the economy and Forbes rated Minnesota as having the third best quality of life in the nation.

RIGHT TO WORK IS

Unfair Unsafe and Unnecessary

We ve Got to Talk About It

Of course I want the Right to Work! Who wouldn t? You realize they mean no union work.

Image from LIUNA s Member Education on Politics and Civic Engagement PowerPoint.

NOW WHAT?

GET OUT THERE AND SAVE OUR UNION!