As another Labor Day weekend comes to a close, I am reminded of the men and women who fought for and won labor rights in this country. I am reminded of my grandfather who was a telephone lineman and proud union member in northern California. The original telephone poles in Sonoma County were evidence of his work. That was pretty cool to witness. But the truth is that we all experience the contributions of organized labor every day. Manufacturing, construction, transportation, healthcare, education, hospitality, entertainment, retail and so much more. As we consider the impact of Indiana as a “right to work” state on organized labor, we must consider what we have gained from unions and what we continue to lose when we do not support union workers.
Right-to-Work Laws Hurt Workers by:
- Weakening union membership. With weakened worker solidarity, unions lose bargaining power.
- Decreased employee leverage. Weak unions cannot effectively organize collective actions to promote change in the workplace.
- Lowering wages and benefits
- Creating unfair labor practices or unsafe working conditions
Instead, let's THANK A UNION!
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