Skip to main content

Will West Virginia Become the Next Right to Work State?


As of this writing, there are currently twenty five states that have right to work laws in place.  Other states are considering passing right to work legislation (From The Washington Post - Missouri Could Be the Next Right to Work Battleground State), but news has come out recently that West Virginia could become the twenty sixth state.  For those unfamiliar with right to work issues, states without right to work laws can allow companies to require union membership as a condition of employment.  Unsurprisingly, unions despise right to work laws.  Without these laws in place, unions are free to bolster their ranks and increase the influx of union dues if union membership is required. 

Recently, Republicans in the West Virginia Senate and House of Delegates have been looking at a study that found economic benefits associated with right to work laws.  (A copy of the study can be found here).  With some difficult economic conditions in the state, it is unsurprising that politicians (and in this case, Republicans) are looking for ways to stimulate the state economy.  As West Virginia Senate President Bill Cole said in a press release "This study should encourage us to break from the status quo and fully pursue making West Virginia a right-to-work state."  Parts of West Virginia have traditionally been very blue collar and union friendly.  

Unions and their pro-labor supports often claim that right to work laws are ineffective in as much as they drive down wages and benefits and hinder worker safety.  However, the recent study out of West Virginia did not find a "statistically reliable" relationship between right to work laws and a change in wages and salary rates.  Supporters of these right to work laws often point out that unions use scare tactics to protect their "fat cat" salaries.  

And as if on cue, labor leader Mike Caputo (who is also a Democratic delegate from Marion County and district vice president for the United Mine Workers of America) has claimed that the rate of workplace deaths is 54.4% higher in states with right to work laws.  As well, Caputo has stated that the average salary in right to work states is $5,000.00 lower.  While these statements might play effectively to union members, the question is whether this message translates to the general public.  Note, a few years ago, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin all enacted right to work laws, even in the face of these "dire" warnings from unions about the dangers of right to work legislation.

For now, this issue is just getting off the ground.  It goes without saying that in a Democratic (and union friendly) state such as West Virginia, it might be difficult to get right to work legislation passed.  However, if a Democratic governor in labor friendly Pennsylvania can sign into law a bill that removes a "labor dispute" exemption for unions ("Labor Dispute" Exemption Removed for Unions)...well, anything is possible.  Even in neighboring West Virginia.  

Stay tuned.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NLRB: Discussion Among Employees About Tip Pooling is Protected Concerted Activity

  This Advice Memorandum from the National Labor Relations Board’s Associate General Counsel, Jayme Sophir, addressed whether employees which discussed and complained about tip pooling at work constituted protected concerted activity. In relevant part, an employer in New York operated a chain of steakhouses.  While tip pooling was in place at these steakhouses, some of the employees objected to it on the grounds that it was not transparent and improperly divided tips among the workers.  Employees were told not to complain or talk to each other about the tip pool and were told that doing so would endanger their jobs.  Despite the employer later attempting to provide some clarity as to how the tips were being divided, rancor still existed among some employees.  At one point, the employees were told by a general manager that some employees that had been talking about the tip pool were “cleared out” and the employer would continue to do so. In the Advice Memorandum,...
Post a Comment
Read more

NLRB: Former Employee Cannot Be Barred From Work Premises After Filing Wage Suit

MEI-GSR Holdings, LLC - NLRB Facts :  MEI-GSR Holdings, LLC d/b/a Grand Sierra Resort & Casino ("GSR") operated a facility that included a hotel, casino, restaurant, clubs, bars, and a pool which were all open to the general public.  Tiffany Sargent ("Sargent") was briefly employed by GSR as a "beverage supervisor" in December of 2012.  After her employment ended, Sargent continued to socialize at one of the clubs.  GSR had a long standing practice of allowing former employees to patronize its facility and did not prohibit Sargent from doing so.  In June of 2013, Sargent and another employee filed a class and collective action against GSR for alleged unpaid wages, in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act and Nevada law.  In July of 2014, GSR denied Sargent access to an event at one of the clubs.  GSR followed up with a letter and stated that with the on-going litigation (from the wage suit), it decided to bar Sargent from the premises. ...
1 comment
Read more

San Diego Rolls Back Vaccine Mandate For City Workers

Last Tuesday, the San Diego City Council voted to do away with the vaccine mandate for city employees. The city’s vaccine mandate that was in place required city workers to get the coronavirus vaccine or risk termination.  Perhaps to this surprise of no one, the city’s policy came under fire with 14 employees being terminated and over 100 other employees resigning.  With the coronavirus subsiding, including in Southern California, the San Diego City Council took action. Now, bear in mind, the repeal of the vaccine mandate does not take place immediately. With that being said, the mandate will be repealed March 8th.  I suppose the question now is, what other cities or regions follow San Diego’s lead? For additional information:   https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/politics/story/2023-01-24/san-diego-repeals-controversial-covid-19-vaccine-mandate-citing-drop-in-cases-hospitalizations
Post a Comment
Read more