Repeal the Right to Work Committee


Is "The Right-To-Work Law" UNION Bustin' or Corporate America re-gaining the right to work Laborers at Slave Wages? Things that make you go Hmmmmm!?!		The Wage Penalty of "Right-to-Work" Laws
		New Updates from Idaho AFL-CIO President 11-02-2005
February 2, 2006
Approximately 1500 "good" signatures have been accepted by the capitol in our endeavor to Repeal The Right-To-Work law. Sighting that the collected names not allowed were because people failed to realize that they were not registered to vote.

January 31, 2006
KY UNION MEMBERS RALLY AGAINST ANTI-WORKER BILLS
Nearly 2,000 Kentucky union members and their allies packed the Capitol Rotunda in Frankfort Jan. 17 to protest Gov. Ernie Fletcher’s (R) drive to win right to work for less legislation (H.B. 38). Fletcher was met with a chorus of boos and chants of “Union Yes” as he made his way to deliver his state budget address. “When Gov. Fletcher takes on the working families of the commonwealth, they’re going to fight back,” said Kentucky State AFL-CIO President William Londrigan. Fletcher said the right to work for less legislation, coupled with his proposed repeal of the state’s prevailing wage law that requires contractors on state-funded construction projects to pay workers the prevailing wage in the region, would boost the state’s economy. The proposals “won’t do anything to guarantee anyone a job and they won’t do anything to improve Kentucky’s economic climate. What they will do is hurt every working family’s standard of living,” AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka told the rally. Backers of so-called “right to work” legislation claim it protects workers from being forced to join unions. But under federal law, no one can be required to join a union. The bill would ban employers and employees from agreeing that nonmembers should pay their share of the costs of representing them and negotiating on their behalf. Workers in states with so-called right to work laws have a consistently lower quality of life than those in other states—lower wages, higher poverty, less access to health care—according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Census Bureau. Working families and their unions also are gearing up to fight right to work for less battles in Indiana, Missouri and New Hampshire. For more information, visit www.aflcio.org/issues/legislativealert/stateissues/ns01122006.cfm.

November 5, 2005
*IT'S OVER!!!!!.*
Politician Mike Naccarato, Idaho AFL-CIO President Dave Whaley, USW local 608 President Rian VanLeuven and concerned Idaho (WA) citizens and work force rallied this morning before undertaking a Door-to-Door signature collecting campaign to qualify the "Right-to-Work Law" for the next Idaho ballot in hopes to REPEAL it. . You can read below the history of this "Right-to-Work Law" and how it became in the state of Idaho. This law is a favorite for business owners nation-wide. States that claim it draw in businesses that thrive on taking advantage of their workforce in order to escalate their own profit and greed. Here are some photos from this mornings rally: click on the photo to enlarge it, use back button to return. Funny how a law called "Right-to-Work" has played hopscotch around the nation, yet has nothing to do with "Rights" for workers......HMMM. A portion of those who rallied at the Nez Perce County Fair parking lot to divvy up the Lewiston Orchards to complete a door-to-door signature collection campaign. Idaho AFL-CIO president Dave Whaley instructs the crowd Saturday Morning at the Fair grounds in Lewiston. Idaho political figure Mike Naccarato is visible just above the white sign. Kids and dogs came out to help. A window sticker on an attendees rear window says it all. The drive produced many legitimate signatures. Thanks again to all those who participated!

Union workers turn out for Lewiston rally By DEAN A. FERGUSON of the Tribune Lewiston draws the biggest crowds of union workers in a campaign to repeal Idaho's Right to Work Law, said a top union official Saturday. Workers say they are struggling against a national movement to erode union influence, which attracts low paying jobs with inadequate benefits to Idaho. "Up in Lewiston and Moscow, you're the shining star of the whole state," Idaho's AFL-CIO president Dave Whaley told about 40 union workers Saturday. "You're doing it all on your own without any encouragement from the state." It's lucky to see 15 workers show up in Boise to gather petition signatures, said Whaley. Right to Work opponents need 47,881 signatures by February to get the repeal effort on the ballot. They have about 25 percent of that so far. The Lewiston group huddled against bleak morning cold outside the Nez Perce County Fairgrounds, Styrofoam cups steaming in their hands. The group took marching orders and canvassed the Lewiston Orchards. Many union members were Potlatch Corp. workers. They oppose Idaho's 1985 anti-union law because it erodes the ability of unions to negotiate for "livable" wages and benefits. The law forbids requiring new workers to join unions, they say. "The quality of life has declined since we have become a Right to Work state," said Cherylene Sherwin, 57, a Potlatch Corp. employee. Her husband agrees. Back in 1985, he supported the law. "Benefits have reduced since Right to Work," said Dick Sherwin, 57, who calls himself a conservative Republican. Union wages strengthen a community's tax base, said Dick Sherwin. Potlatch Corp. wages have forced other area mills to pay competitive salaries, he said. He says Idaho's Right to Work law has been mischaracterized. Now, "free- loaders" get union benefits without having to sacrifice by paying union dues. Whaley has had trouble energizing union members in other parts of the state. Apathy and an "I've got mine" attitude dampen enthusiasm, he said. He joked that union leaders used to spread rumors that the union was raising dues just to get members to show up to meetings. And, Idaho has had no high profile battles between unions and management. There's nothing like the 1892 Homestead Strike at an Andrew Carnegie steel mill that left seven striking workers and three strike-busting Pinkerton detectives dead following a 13-hour gun battle. The wives and children of workers had to hide in a metal scrap yard after the Pinkertons opened fire on the crowd. The incident marred Carnegie's reputation as a philanthropist who gave $350 million to libraries over the course of his life. Such battles were widely publicized when unions gained influence a century ago. But times have changed and Right to Work legislation is sprouting in states. That's not to say unions aren't still confronting businesses on behalf of workers. In October, Potlatch Corp. workers protested a comment made by an accountant from the Kendall Auto Group, which plans to build a Dodge dealership in Lewiston. When a union representative asked a Kendall accountant to consider union workers for construction jobs, the accountant said he thought union wages were inflated, said Rian Van Leuven, a union representative for the United Steel Workers of America. "That's kind of funny because sometimes folks with disposable income buy $40,000 pickups," said Van Leuven. Potlatch Corp. union workers signed petitions protesting the comment and Kendall Auto Group president Dave Blewett of Eugene, Ore., sat down over coffee at Starbuck's with union leaders to mend the rift, said Van Leuven. "He wanted to assure us they are in the retail trade and said, 'We don't want to insult our potential customers," said Van Leuven. Blewett's assertion that the accountant's comments didn't represent Kendall's business philosophy assuaged union workers. "The community needs to understand that folks that work at the mill are deeply involved in this valley," said Van Leuven. Whaley said union workers are gearing up to pull about 20,000 signatures from the Boise area. It's encouraging, he said, that union leaders have begun to get hate mail and anti-union letters to the editor are appearing in newspapers. "We must be making some impression out there," he said.

*Join the Rally to Repeal the "RIGHT TO WORK LAW"* We Rally TODAY at 9:00 AM at The NEZ PERCE County Fair Pavilion PARKING LOT. We Will Discuss the ISSUE, Define what the "RIGHT TO WORK LAW" is click here) and Explain HOW To Gather SIGNATURES. The walking routes have been set up and should take 2-3 hours. The walk to gather Petition signatures starts at 10:00 am. After the Petition gathering walk, we will all muster for PIZZA at the Union Hall downtown at 1:00 PM. The Hall is located across the street from the Post office, behind the Service recruiters on Idaho Street. SEE YA' THERE! Call 746-6216 or *E-mail*

November 3, 2005
*IT'S HERE!!!!!.*
*THE DOOR TO DOOR CAMPAIGN TO COLLECT SIGNATURES.* So says Marv Hall (retired 608 & district Coordinator for the Repeal Right To Work Law)
All we need is 2-3 hours of your time. You help your fellow worker. Get some exercise. Get fed. Feel good about yourself. This effort will focus and attempt to canvas the Lewiston Orchards. Will have walk routes available. Political figures will be asked to join in the effort. Other Local Unions will be asked, also.

Read more about the organized movement to Repeal the Right to Work Law from the Idaho AFL-CIO. {Click Here}.

>>>>The initiative has already cleared one hurdle: On July 22, Attorney General Lawrence Wasden issued a review of the AFL-CIO's proposal to quash the law in Idaho, saying it didn't appear to raise constitutional issues. Still, it's going to be very difficult to repeal a law that's seen as favorable to business in Idaho, a state where less than a third of voters in last November's presidential elections chose John Kerry, a Democrat. His party has long counted union members among its most-ardent supporters. When it was passed 18 years ago, the "Right to Work" measure was so popular among lawmakers that the Idaho Legislature overrode then-Gov. John Evans' veto. Coeur d'Alene contractor Dean Haagenson, a Republican House member from 1983 to 1990, backed the bill. "Contrary to what the unions say, it has been a contributing factor in the growth in North Idaho," Haagenson said. The National Right to Work Committee, a pro-business lobby based in Virginia that campaigns to fend off repeal efforts such as the one underway in Idaho, says income in the 22 states with "Right to Work" laws is advancing at better than twice the rate of states without such statutes. Jonathan Coe, president of the Coeur d'Alene Area Chamber of Commerce, said many of his group's members see the law as beneficial, helping keep wages set by market forces rather than by tough union negotiations. "Workers should have the right to work without joining a union," Coe said. "The economy is strong now, especially in areas such as construction, and the law of supply and demand means more jobs and better wages." Associated Press The above is the pro-business attitude toward the right to work. If you disagree, help out. We will be at the Nez Perce County Fair Pavilion the 22nd - 25th. Sign up to help collect signatures to help REPEAL THE RIGHT TO WORK Law.
“Those who destroy or limit the rights of organized labor do a disservice to the cause of democracy.” President John F. Kennedy
*A Brief History on the Right To Work Law* - 1905 the National Association of Manufacturers founds the open shop movement. Nationally the AFL lost over 114,000 members. - 1920 the NAM renames the open shop to the American Plan, an anti-union organization. Unions lose 1.4 million members. - 1954 southern employers organize the National Right To Work Committee. - 1958 Idaho defeats a right to work ballot initiative. - 1985 Idaho Legislature passes the law over the veto of Governor John Evans. Idaho unions represented about 45,000 members. - 2004 Idaho unions represent 21, 777, but by law must fully represent thousands more Idahoans in the bargaining unit. There are 22 right to work states and there have been many unsuccessful attempts to pass this unfair law. In Idaho it has been on the ballot twice, defeated once, and defeated many times in the legislature, but it only needs to pass once to become law. It only takes once to repeal Idaho’s law and now is the time. Initiative voters in 10 states have defeated this unfair law, with Washington and California defeating it twice. Idaho voters defeated it in 1958. The legislature passed the law in 1985. Five states have REPEALED right to work laws. “Those who destroy or limit the rights of organized labor do a disservice to the cause of democracy.” President John F. Kennedy The National Right to Work Committee suggests in their web site for employees to resign from the union to avoid paying dues. It states, if you resign your union membership the union would have to continue to represent you fairly and without discrimination in all matters subject to collective bargaining, and you could not be denied any benefits under the labor contract with your employer. So much for the claim by the committee they are only interested in freedom of workers and jobs. The committees’ only interest is in weakening and destroying our unions. Idahoans now believe it is time to repeal right to work. It was and is a failed experiment. We who worked, lived, moved and stayed here through this experiment did so because we love our Idaho and we knew the day would come when voters would undo this injustice. Not so for the promoters of the law, they left Idaho to find work in other states because they could not afford the life style they chose to enjoy. Freedom of choice is a cherished right to be enjoyed by all Idahoans and our fellow Americans in other states. No freedom can be absolute in a democratic republic. Our freedoms are tempered by the principle of majority rule, with recognized and protected minority rights. However, the minority should not dictate to the majority, the minority has the freedom and right to try and become the majority.

Congratulations To Mr. Jimmy Rose for winning the Spring 2005 Rifle Drawing.

~The next drawing is in the planning stages. Could be it comes from a Ladies "best friend" store!?! Stay tuned.

Help send Right-to-Work back to Virginny ! ! ! ! !
~To sign a petition, call the hall !

Union workers turn out for Lewiston rally