The “right to work” FOR LESS
Tim Roschel, Lancaster City Council member

Governor Corbett, many Republican legislators, and the anti-worker groups that paid for their elections are supporting a so called “right to work” law, claiming it will create jobs and offer better economic security for Pennsylvania working families.  Simply put, the facts don’t support their claims.

First off, what exactly do mean by a “right to work” law?  Supporters of the proposed law would like you to believe that it gives workers a choice as to whether or not they have to join a union.  This is not true. The United States Supreme Court has already ruled that no collective bargaining agreement (union contract) can require anyone to join a union.  What “right to work” laws actually do is prohibit employers and employees from negotiating agreements that require all workers who receive benefits from a collective bargaining agreement to pay their fair share of the costs it takes to represent them. 

“Right to work” laws mandate that unions must represent every eligible employee-- even if they choose not to join the union or pay dues. To put it another way, unions must represent the workers who pay dues and the ones who don’t.  For example, if a non-union worker is fired and challenges the firing, the union must spend its time and money defending the fired non-union worker through the legal process.  And, believe it or not, non-union members can even sue the union if they feel the union did not represent them well enough.  How is this fair to dues paying members?

Supporters of “right to work” also claim that the law will bring needed jobs into Pennsylvania.  Not true.  Industries look at factors like a skilled and educated workforce, transportation, closeness to markets, proximity to universities, and quality of life as key indicators for locating to an area.  Would “right to work” laws improve these factors? Consider this, according to the US Department of Labor and the US Census Bureau, states with “right to work” laws 1) pay lower wages, 2) have higher poverty rates, 3) provide less access to health care, and 4) offer a poorer education for our children.  And as a construction worker, here’s a statistic very important to me: the rate of workplace deaths is 52.9% higher in states with “right to work” laws (Bureau of Labor Statistics). 

If you are truly concerned about the economic security of Pennsylvania working families, raise your voice in opposition to “right to work” legislation, and then raise your voice again in support of Pennsylvania UNIONS.  Facts are facts. Overall, middle class Union workers earn 28% more per week than non-union workers-- with Hispanic union members earning 50% more per week than non-union workers, and African American union members earning 29% more. I won’t burden you with a list of statistics; but suffice to say, union members make more money, have better access to health care and have better retirement plans. And facts are facts.

A strong middle class with economic security for their families is the key to improving the quality of life in Pennsylvania.  A “right to work” FOR LESS law will weaken the vitality and prosperity of Pennsylvania workers and families.

Comment on this Commentary - Comments should be directed to Ken Ralph, Editor of LCDC Media at his email address.

Tim Roschel
Lancaster City Council member

The opinions expressed here are those of the author alone and are not the official position of the
Lancaster County Democratic Committee.