“Right to Work” and Friedrichs Challenge in the Courts
After failing to pass so-called right-to-work legislation in a number of states, corporate-backed conservative groups are trying a new tactic to eliminate worker voice through unions. In a case called Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, these groups are attempting to win a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court that would force every state to impose right-to-work requirements on all public service jobs. An unfair ruling in the Supreme Court would gut the existing laws governing public employment that have been established by legislatures in 17states.
What Is Right to Work?
Right to work is ahighly deceptive phrase for a strategy aimed at eliminating the rights of workers to have effective unions.
Right to work takes away our rights as workers to insist that all employees covered under a union-negotiated contract share the costs and benefits of negotiating and enforcing that contract.
Right to work stacks the deck in favor of employers, allowing them to cut back on wages and benefits, while knowing that there will be very little that employees can do about it.
Right to work also creates an environment of intimidation in which employers often harass workers into dropping their union membership. Under right to work, employers often actively single out union members for harsh treatment as a way of demonstrating to other workers what might happen to them if they join a union or continue their membership.
Right to work drives down all wages in a community. When workers have less money in their pockets, they spend less in their communities and everyone suffers. On average, workers in right-to-work states earn $1,500 less per year than workers in states without these laws.
Right to work undermines our civil rights and limits our political voice. It will make it increasingly difficult for workers to come together as colleagues to advocate for the institutions in which we work and the people we serve.
Stop the attacks on our rights and on the future of labor unions in this country.
Join with your colleagues to protect ourright to have a strong voice at work.
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