The "Right-to-be-a-Patriot"

There's been a lot of talk about making Michigan (my home state) a "right-to-work" state. I've heard the arguements from both sides.

  What bothers me is the nomenclature. We see this a lot. Like "The Patriot Act". Regardless of what's involved, if you don't go along with it you look unpatriotic, right? Congress could call every bill they dream up "The New Patriot Act" and many of us would sort of feel obliged to back it.

  The name"right to work" conjures up a picture of a place where only some elite group gets to choose jobs while others are cast aside and left to starve. Or that they do not have the right to choose where they work. That's not the case at all. In fact, it's ridiculous.

  I am a plumber/pipefitter by trade. And, in the intrest of full disclosier, I am a union member. I have been for 35 years. I chose to join the plumbers and pipefitters union. I chose to work under a collective barganing agreement. This means that all of us who have chosen this option elect representatives from amongst our ranks to negotiate with the mechanical contractors who are signatory to our agreement. They negotiate for wages, benefits, and working conditions. This means if you are a member you get the same pay for the same work. Regardless of sex, race, etc.
  Some of our elected officers are full time. We pay them. We also pay our office staff, and for the building that houses our offices and meeting hall. We pay "dues" to cover these expences.

There are many people who do not want to belong to a union. There are many reasons for this. Some feel that they can better  negotiate for themselves. Some are suspicious of union leadership. Some just don't like the idea of paying dues.

In my home town there is one union mechanical contractor. There are a number of non union shops. I could choose to quit the union and apply for work at one of them. Likewise, the non-union employees could quit and apply for union membership.

If right to work laws are passed here, all it would do is to allow non-union people to work at union shops without joining the collective that negotiates thier wages and benefits. It would not give me the right to work at a non-union shop for the wages and benefits I get now. As non signatory employees, they could work for less money, breaking down the ability of union members to negotiate. And that's really what's behind the whole thing, but that's another topic.

The point is, right-to-work is a lie. Michiganders have the right to work wherever they choose. Union or non-union. This movement would be more acuratley called, The Michigan Anti-Union Act. That's what it really is. Anti-union folks would support it either way. Union folks will not. But voters who do not work in construction or industry are just going to be deceived. So call it what it is. It's deceptive to call it what it's not. That's what bothers me.

Peace,
        George