Kentucky needs to be a right to work state


State Represenaatative Sal Santoro explains why Kentucky should pass a Right to Work Law in cincinnati.com.

USA Today recently published a report entitled “The Most Miserable States in the USA†that, based on survey results, ranked Kentucky as the second most miserable state in the country. Only West Virginia was ranked worse in the survey.

It’s proof that we in Kentucky have remained stagnant for too long, and we as a commonwealth must take bold steps to overcome it. That is why the Kentucky Right to Work Act was filed recently.

The act, which was filed as House Bill 496, simply states “… No employee shall be required, as a condition of employment or to stay employed to become a member of a labor organization or pay any dues.†Those of us who advocate for right to work fully support a person’s right to join a union, but at the same time we also fully support the right for a person not to join one as well.

The reasons for filing the Right to Work Act are based on independent studies and data that show states with right to work laws have an advantage when attracting new businesses and expanding their economies. The U.S. Department of Commerce reported the percentage growth in total private sector jobs over the past decade was 15.3 percent for states with right to work laws, and 7.3 percent in states without them. Kentucky’s rate was a sluggish 6.9 percent.

According to the U.S. Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the percentage growth in real private-sector employee compensation in states with right to work laws is 14.2 percent, compared to 6.1 percent in states without right to work laws. Like with the previous statistics, Kentucky ranked low at 4.3It’s time to bring real choice to the commonwealth and make Kentucky a right to work state. percent.

 

Categories