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Your (now rare) “right to work” roundup

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In what struck me as an interesting use of advertising dollars, the Illinois Policy Institute recently ran radio ads in Springfield saying that Illinois should become a right-to-work state.

“In right-to-work states, workers decide for themselves whether to financially support a union,” states an ad playing recently on WTAX-AM 1240. “And union executives work for members, not the other way around.”

“Michigan and Indiana workers have seen their incomes rise faster than Illinoisans’ since their states enacted right to work,” the ad states, and there are many other statistics presented about great times in right-to-work states versus Illinois.

Why interesting? Well, even Republican Rauner wanted Illinois to go only to a system of right-to-work zones as he traveled the state extensively after taking office. And now he’s dropped that demand from his “turnaround agenda,” though other aspects of his plan, such as allowing local governments to decide whether they will bargain collectively with their employees, still would erode some union rights.

KRISTINA RASMUSSEN, executive vice president of the policy institute, said both Indiana and Michigan “have seen a manufacturing boom since going right-to-work,” with personal incomes increasing. “Meanwhile, Illinois has been losing factory jobs.”

Discuss.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 9:10 am

Comments

If Unions don’t see this frontal assault on ALL unions, not just public employees, not just prevailing wage, not just collective bargaining for public work projects…

… this is possibly the beginning, of trying to put a complete end to unions.

Trade unions, you know its you guys too… right? Police… Fire… no one is safe in the Labor movement, the IPI says that’s so.

And IPI is right… Exactly right.

Tick-tock, Labor Movement, tick-tock.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 9:17 am
Let it go already. It isn’t going to happen.

This nonsense is just more evidence that the IPI is not the “non-partisan” organization they claim to be.

Comment by Demoralized Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 9:17 am
IPI was the “guest” on WCIA’s Capitol Connection this weekend. Rasmussen and the fellow who authored the “everyone’s leaving Illinois” report were the guests. The video hasn’t been posted yet. Seemed like a half-hour infomercial for IPI IMO.

Comment by Anon221 Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 9:21 am
Simply amazing. I would be willing to bet that the RAUN Man would exchange reinstituting the entire income tax increase for RTW.

Comment by blue dog dem Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 9:23 am
Comparisons!
Bah!
Useless crap parading as facts.

I’m tired of this group comparing Illinois to ridiculous imaginary places that exist only in their minds.

Compared to Florida, Illinois is hilly.
Compared to Delaware, Illinois is huge.
Compared to Alaska, Illinois is overcrowded.
Compared to Greenland, Illinois is tropical.
Compared to Michigan, Illinois roads are smooth.
Compared to China, Illinois pays high wages.
Compared to Zimbabwe, Illinois has a great leader.
Compared to Syria, Illinois has no violence.
Compared to McDonalds, KFC has tasty chicken.
Compared to Bruce Rauner, Pat Quinn was a statesman.

What a crock of baloney!

Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 9:26 am
I read an article responding to this over the weekend and I will look for a citation to it. But it reviewed financial and employment figures. Illinois ranks highest of the neighboring states in income. And as to the lost of jobs, the other states grew by some 1.5% while Illinois by only 0.75% …. is that even statistically significant? But the message is harmful even if the accusations are bogus.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 9:32 am
Michigan and Indiana passed Right to Work in 2012. The passage had nothing to do at all with the recovery in the Michigan and Indiana Automobile plants. Another Red Herring from the Illinois Propaganda Institute.

Comment by Beaner Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 9:35 am
This may all be moot, very soon.

USSC will decide Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association in early 2016. The ruling could bring RTW to all public sector unions.

Comment by Downstate Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 9:35 am
One thing the Illinois Policy Institute has going for it is that they have money and staff. Which is a lot. The thing they are missing is credibility. The unions just need to make sure their “brand” remains good in Illinois. I think unions are awake and still ready for Rauner and IPI.

Comment by 360 Degree TurnAround Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 9:40 am
The bottom line is, OW at 9:17am. No one is safe.

Comment by tobor Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 9:40 am
Either Rauner is bringing r-t-w back, or IPI was just really slow cutting spots to support his road show.

I’m sure Rauner and IPI are pleased that the UAW leveraged their contract negotiations with Ford to get $1.1 billion in new investment at the Torrance Ave. and Chicago Heights plants.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 9:41 am
I heard the IPI ad on the radio while driving home last week. I laughed to myself wondering how many people actually believe that if you take away most of the rights workers currently have, it actually works out well for the workers and that they will end up making more money.

Comment by The Dude Abides Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 9:46 am
IPI has to make sure that money from their corporate sponsors keeps rolling in.

Comment by Obamas Puppy Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 9:47 am
OW & Tabor - agreed. “No one” = babies, kids, teenagers, college students, young workers, middle aged/middle class workers, people wanting to retire, retired workers, and workers on hospice”.

So far those that are safe = The dead and wealthy people.

Comment by 360 Degree TurnAround Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 9:48 am
This goes back to the “true believers” thing Rich posted a couple of weeks ago. The two sides in this fight are so entrenched that there’s no middle ground (at least as they see it). AFSCME and the AFL-CIO want things as they currently are and the IPI and IL Chamber don’t. I’m with most who wish they’d drop the RTW and CBA pushes, but that’s probably wishful thinking.

Downstate, that’s a great point and one that must be considered. After the recent Kanerva and Heaton verdicts, we were reminded that the rule of law stands tall and that pensions may not be abridged. Will the opponents of Ms. Friedrichs be so respectful if SCOTUS rules against public sector unions?! My guess is that the replies/retorts won’t be very kind.

Comment by Team Sleep Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 9:57 am
Team Sleep - isn’t the AFSCME and AFL-CIO position that collective negotiations be the norm? If there is a group that understands the “give and take” of bargaining, it would be unions. It is what they do for a living. Would the Illinois Chamber be okay if there were no forced dues for their organization? Businesses could keep more of their money that way.

Comment by 360 Degree TurnAround Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 10:14 am
Indiana and Michigan have way lower incomes than Illinois.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_income

Union members earn more than their non-union counterparts in the overwhelming majority of occupations/fields. Historical data show that overall, union states have higher incomes than RTW states.

The “workers’ rights to join a union” that Rauner and the IPI are pushin’ is a smokescreen for gaining more power and getting wealthier.

Comment by Grandson of Man Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 10:17 am
The Illinois Policy Institute is full of misconceptions and this is a large one.

Comment by muskegon milly Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 10:17 am
—–Would the Illinois Chamber be okay if there were no forced dues for their organization? —–

Uhm, I think that’s the way it works for the chamber. Membership is not compulsory.

Comment by Downstate Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 10:33 am
Local chambers of commerce don’t have to pay into the state chamber?

Comment by 360 Degree TurnAround Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 10:40 am
There is no such thing as Right to Work. In fact Right to Work takes Rights away from me.

Don’t want to pay Union dues? Then work as a Mayo Slapper for Prevailing Wage at your local franchise sandwich place.

Comment by Jack Stephens Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 10:43 am
RTW is a dog politically. It was torched in the House. Local governments rejected it. The Chicago City Council slapped it down around the time Rauner spoke there.

It’s one of the governor’s stunning defeats, perhaps his worst.

Comment by Grandson of Man Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 10:45 am
360 - nope.

http://ilchamber.org/about/faq/

Comment by Team Sleep Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 10:47 am
The good idea is to pay cops, firefighters, nurses, teachers, road builders less, because then we will prosper. Nothing better than being stupid, unprotected, having poor health and utilizing unsafe public infrastructure to really make Illinois a leader again?

Comment by DuPage Bard Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 10:47 am
I stand corrected, thank you. Businesses have to pay out the wazoo to be in both chambers then. No wonder this is such bad place to do business.

“The Illinois Chamber operates statewide. For example, if you are a member of the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, you are not automatically a member of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce. To be a member of each, you would need to join and pay dues to each separately.”

Comment by 360 Degree TurnAround Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 10:53 am
Downstate -

But would the Chamber continue to provide services if a member decided they didn’t want to pay membership fees any longer? Of course not. Why? Because that isn’t fair. Unless you’re doing it to unions, which are bound by federal law to provide the same level of services whether someone is a member or not.

Comment by Man with a plan Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 10:56 am
And the State Chamber does not have to represent the needs of the local Chambers, and often doesn’t.

The locals focus on small businesses, the real source of job growth in Illinois. The staties focus on big companies and their profitability. Two different entities, with agendas that don’t completely overlap.

Comment by walker Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 10:56 am
Fair share is a product of the same law that makes it illegal to treat some workers differently than others. When a union collectively bargains for workers, what they get in their contract agreement is applied to everyone. Same work days, same holidays, same procedures for everyone equally and applied to everyone. Its a friend of non- discrimination and equal treatment. So if there is collective baragaining ypu do benefit from the agreement reached even if you are non-union employee. Nothing in life is free, unless you are a free-loader person. For years i was non-union and paid fair share and i knew and understood why and didnt have a problem with that. Now im in a union title and pay regular dues instead of fair share - my choice. So if those people dont wish to pay fair share then they probably also wish to arrange their own working agreement with their employer as a free agent just like a baseball player. Good luck with that, let me know how thats working for ya. Can you imagine the morass created when a large employer has to individually baragain with every free agent worker they wish to hire, and the potential lawsuits from unequal treatment amongst them? Nah. Dumb idea and NOT efficient.

Comment by internal angel Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 11:04 am
360 - how many small Chambers can afford to pay those dues? Some don’t even have staff or host a website, let alone the ability to pay for something like statewide association dues.

Imagine the furor if a bill was introduced to force a dentist to join the Illinois Dental Association or force a small town restaurant to join the Illinois Restaurant Association. And yet those entities lobby on behalf of ALL interests within their association. They have to, because what else would they do?! Push legislation that only benefits dentists who pay into the IDA?! I’m sure that would be well-received.

I’m not opposed to fair share, either. But that is something to consider.

Comment by Team Sleep Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 11:25 am
As we continue to talk about right-to-work laws, it is worth noting the racist origins of “right-to-work” laws. Here is one story describing the early efforts to promote “right-to-work” laws by white supremacists:

https://www.dissentmagazine.org/online_articles/the-ugly-racial-history-of-right-to-work

That is the reason the southern states were first to embrace “right-to-work” laws. These laws made it harder for whites and blacks to come together in solidarity. We need to talk more about this issue.

Comment by Scamp640 Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 11:35 am
After right-to-work, we can return to the gold standard, and then repopularize wearing of monocles! Maybe give prohibition another try.

Backwards is the way Forwards! (dripping sarcasm)

Comment by James Knell Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 12:33 pm
Seems like IPI needs to justify their donations to pro-right to work contributors.
“What do we tell them about what we did with their money?”

“I know, let’s run some radio ads in Springfield! That’ll make the difference in getting right to work.”

Comment by AntMan Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 12:58 pm
I’m not kidding, Stupor.

FEE is nothing but a shill for free market excesses and that link explaining why prevailing wages are racist doesn’t pass muster in my view.

Comment by Scamp640 Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 1:15 pm
Downstate @9:35 has it. Rauner is waiting to see if SCOTUS will do the work for him. Why should he take the hit when Friedrichs vs. CTA will gut public sector unions without him lifting a finger?

Comment by Mostly Harmless Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 1:35 pm
The National Manufacturers Association website does a state-by-state breakdown of manufacturing employments, wages, output, etc.

Illinois is the third-largest manufacturing state, behind California and Texas.

Illinois and Indiana were about even in output in 2008, but Illinois has grown at a faster rate since then.

Illinois also has more manufacturing workers than Indiana and they make considerably more money.

Michigan is tougher to make a comparison due to its wild ups-and-downs due to the domestic auto crash. bailout and gangbusters recovery.

But Illinois still has more manufacturing output, jobs, and workers that make more money than Michigan.

IPI apparently has never heard of the National Manufacturers Association.

Curious, they’re based in Illinois.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 8:12 pm
mi and ia wages are dropping, not going up.

Comment by Ghost Monday, Nov 16, 15 @ 9:28 pm