National Right To Work Bill Introduced

Currently 67% of Americans approve of Labor Unions, and the recent WGA/SAG strikes saw even higher approval by the public.

So why are over half of American states Right to Work?

The majority of so-called Right To Work laws were passed in Jim Crow South prior to the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  Not surprisingly, the architect of these union-busting laws, Vance Muse, is described by his own grandson as “a white supremacist, an anti-Semite, and a Communist-baiter—a man who beat on labor unions not on behalf of working people, as he said, but because he was paid to do so.”

On the wrong side of history over the course of his career, he fought women’s suffrage, worked to defeat the proposed constitutional amendment prohibiting child labor, lobbied for high tariffs, and sought repeal of the eight-hour workday law for railroaders. After the introduction of The New Deal, which would threaten the racial segregationist way of life in The South, Muse began distributing inflammatory pamphlets with The Roosevelts alongside Black Americans, with racist captions.

Ultimately, his goal was to prevent Black workers from having equal rights in the workplace, and prohibit all workers from being able to collectively bargain.

Decades of anti-union propaganda, and the repeal of the Voting Rights Act’s protections against gerrymandering allowed the spread of RTW laws to 26 states. 

In 2017 the Trump White House released the statement, “The President believes in right-to-work. He wants to give workers and companies the flexibility to do what’s in the best interest for job creators.  Obviously, the vice president has been a champion of this as well.”

Days later Kentucky and Missouri became the 27th and 28th states to pass RTW laws. However, voters in Missouri would repeal theirs with a referendum in 2018.  Yet the state legislature continues to re-introduce RTW bills, despite their lack of popularity.

In an effort to deliver a major blow to workers’ rights, on February 12th of this year, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul introduced a National “Right To Work” Bill,  with a promise to sign it into law from President Trump.

This would mark yet another anti-worker attack by Trump.

In 2018, his Supreme Court appointments ruled against unions in Janus v. AFSCME, which made the entire public sector RTW. Additionally, Trump’s administration rolled back numerous safety standards put in place under the Obama administration. Currently the administration is facing multiple lawsuits over union-busting and the failure to pay workers during the government shutdown.

As of now, it is unclear if this bill will gain momentum. This is not the first time Paul has introduced this bill, only to see it fizzle out.

But during Labor Secretary Chavez-Deremer’s confirmation hearing, Paul asked her if her support of the Pro-Act extended to the portion which would overturn Right to Work laws, and she made it clear that she does not.

Kentucky has a rich history of union activity, and it appears to be gaining momentum once again, despite its recent RTW status change. Perhaps this is why Senator Paul is attempting to subvert a potential repeal of its RTW laws by introducing federal legislation.

Now, more than ever, it’s important to let lawmakers know how you feel.

Click here to tell Senator Rand that so-called Right To Work is WRONG!