Opinion: Right-to-Work Could Cost NH Families Thousands in Pay

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Joshua Stutzman, NH Families for Freedom

                           So-called “Right To Work” Is Wrong For New Hampshire

By James Richards, Bill Legrand, Joshua Stutzman of NH Families for Freedom

An out-of-state supported group and corporate interests are using the COVID-19 economic crisis as cover to push so-called “Right to Work” legislation in New Hampshire. Their tactics include recent mailings to voters and targeted flyers aimed at state legislators, urging support for a recently filed “Right to Work” bill.

This so-called “Right to Work” (RTW) bill would weaken the bargaining power and could lower the wages of working families across the state. In fact, the median income in RTW states is about $10,000 lower than in non-RTW states! Now is not the time to undercut the income of New Hampshire families. It is time for legislators to stand up for Granite State working families and reject this kind of con game.

In mailings filled with false information sent to homes throughout the state, there are pre-made postcards addressed to Governor Sununu, Senators, and the speaker of the House. They falsely claim workers are forced to join unions and pay dues. The group calls itself the New England Citizens for Right to Work, but the financial ties lead to big business-backed, anti-worker organizations like the National Right to Work Committee.

The ideological zealots behind this measure are hitting New Hampshire with the same playbook they’ve been using in other states over the last decade, pushing for this governmental interference by state legislators.

An objective newspaper investigation exposed how “Right to Work” forces bundled $100,000 in campaign contributions to 10 GOP senate candidates. “A leader of a special-interest group exploited a loophole in New Hampshire’s campaign finance law to create 11 political action committees which donated nearly $100,000 to 10 Republican state Senate candidates during the 2020 election,” was reported.

The New Hampshire Union Leader story found that lobbyist McKayne Boedecker of New England Citizens for Right to Work gave similarly themed names to several different PACs, which enabled the groups’ supporters to collectively give their preferred candidates at least eight times what is allowed from a single PAC.

Organizations like Workplacefairness.org and bi-partisan think tanks such as the Economic Policy Institute have revealed that RTW laws do not guarantee you an actual “Right to Work” or to a decent-paying job. So-called “Right to Work” is really the right to work with less – less job security, fewer benefits, and fewer rights on the job.

RTW makes it harder for workers to effectively negotiate for pay and other benefits. Because RTW laws weaken workplace protections and weaken employees’ ability to bargain, they are being pushed by corporate interests as a way to bring additional businesses to the state. But research shows that RTW laws “do not have any positive impact on job growth,” according to findings from the Economic Policy Institute.

The true goal of proponents of “RTW” laws is weakening unions and stripping workers of their ability to bargain for higher wages. In “Right to Work” states, average hourly wages are 16% lower, while rates of workplace fatalities are up to 40% higher. In 2019, New Hampshire’s median income was higher than the median hourly wage in ALL 27 “Right to Work” states, according to Census data.

The real purpose of Right to Work laws is to tilt the balance of power in favor of big corporations and to rig the system against working families. Tell our elected officials not to fall for this out-of-state con job.

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James Richards, Nashua

Bill Legrand, Strafford

Joshua Stutzman, Meredith

NH Families for Freedom

InDepthNH.org takes no position on political matters but welcomes diverse opinions. Email nancywestnews@gmail.com

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