Congressman Bob Good (R-VA): “Right to Work… is a right enshrined in our founding documents”
“The Right to Work in this country, free from coercion by the government, is a right enshrined in our founding documents. While state Right to Work legislation is a product of the 20th century, its fundamental tenants of liberty, freedom and self-determination are timeless and enduring. Representative Joe Wilson’s National Right to Work Act embodies these core American values. It asserts that no man or woman should be forced to finance a union as a term of his or her employment.”
– Chairman Bob Good (R-VA) during US House Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions hearing on Right to Work
The National Right to Work Act only repeals statutes. It doesn’t add one letter to the federal law. So, let’s give workers the Right to Work and let’s end compulsory union membership. Let’s make every state a Right to Work state and require unions to prove their value to the people they claim to represent. I look forward to the prepared testimony of our witnesses today.
The Right to Work in this country, free from coercion by the government is a right enshrined in our founding documents. While state Right to Work legislation is a product of the 20th century, its fundamental tenants of liberty, freedom and self-determination are timeless and enduring. Representative Joe Wilson’s National Right to Work Act embodies these core American values. It asserts that no man or woman should be forced to finance a union as a term of his or her employment.
Unfortunately, however, in 24 states, the law is actually the opposite of this principle. Employees in these states have two options. Union dues or be fired. This threat is a violation of the God given right for Americans to determine how they spend their hard earned paychecks. The Heritage Foundation estimates that 94% of workers did not vote for their inherited union representation, meaning that only 6% of workers have consented to the union that negotiates on behalf of 100% of their coworkers.
This means that new employees’ interests are not necessarily represented in negotiations resulting in their being denied fair representation in the future. The 94% deserve a choice. And polls indicate that about 75% of Americans agree that workers should be able to decide whether to join or leave a labor union. This is not surprising, considering that Right to Work states have increased manufacturing, employment, productivity and personal income.
In fact, during the 40-year period between 1978 and 2017, employment and Right to Work states grew by 105%, compared to just 49% among non-Right to Work states. Nevertheless, Democrats and the Biden administration are working hard to strip all workers of their right to choose. The anti-choice Democrat goal is to force everyone to join a union by upending independent contractors’ livelihoods, overturning NLRB election precedents, and passing the disastrous anti-Right to Work “PRO Act.”
Chairman Bob Good (R-VA), Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, November 30, 2023