Despite frequently denying Right to Work was a priority, even claiming it was a distraction, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker today signed a fast-tracked Right to Work bill into law.
Originating from a controversial and extraordinary session in the state legislature, the bill makes Wisconsin the 25th Right to Work state in the country.
The law makes it illegal to make employees join a union and pay fees. In so doing, it weakens collective bargaining for workers in Wisconsin, cutting the protections that will be offered to employees and returns the upper hand to management, unions say.
In response to the recent developments, labor unions in Ohio says it’s a sign that workers everywhere need to remain vigilant.
“This is a sad day for workers in Wisconsin,” said Pat Sink, Ohio’s International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 18’s business manager. “The fact that this happened as quickly as it did, in spite of Gov. Walker’s previous claims, only solidifies how underhanded and devious this fight can be.”
Although Walker has long been a Right to Work supporter, as recently as his 2014 re-election campaign Walker said the timing for such legislation was off.
“I’m making it clear in this campaign, as I’ll make it clear in the next (legislative) session, that that’s not something that’s part of my agenda. My point is I’m not pushing for it,” Walker told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Union members in Ohio say Walker’s change of heart should be a glaring example of how quickly things can change, so labor supporters in states like Ohio are refusing to rest.
“We’ve been watching developments everywhere,” said Sink. “But we’ve always known things could change at the drop of a hat. That’s why we continue to expose this legislation for what it is and continue to give Ohioans the information they deserve.”
Opponents of the recent Ohio Right to Work effort, including the “Workplace Freedom” bills, contend that the initiative’s true purpose is to kill unions and worker protections, ultimately leading to a weaker middle class.
By stripping workers of their rights and freedoms, business owners would be free to lower worker pay, reduce worker benefits and ignore worker rights.
Whether Republicans call it “Paycheck Protection,” “Workplace Freedom,” or other various Right to Work terms, opponents appear determined to make it law in Ohio.
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SOURCE: Keep Ohio's Heritage
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