Republicans are now trying to push the so-called "right to work" laws to be passed in more states. Right now Michigan is in the vanguard of this push, but other states will soon follow. As a resident of a "right to work" state (Texas), I can tell you that these laws have nothing to do about a worker's rights -- but only the desire of corporations to weaken and destroy unions -- and you can bet that a lot of corporate money is fueling this GOP effort. Unions have gotten a bad rap in the last couple of decades and unions have been weakened by that propaganda -- but like it or not, unionization is the only way workers can insure their own rights are protected and they can get the pay, benefits and pensions that will allow them to live a decent life.On Monday, President Obama was in Michigan and spoke out in opposition to the ridiculous "right to work" laws. Here is some of what he had to say:
And by the way, what we shouldn't do. I've just got to say this, what we shouldn't be doing is trying to take away your rights to bargain for better wages and working conditions. These so-called right to work laws, they don't have to do with economics, they have everything to do with politics. What they're really talking about is giving you the right to work for less money.
You only have to look to Michigan, where workers were instrumental in reviving the auto industry, to see how unions have helped build not just a stronger middle class but a stronger America. [...] We don't want a race to the bottom. We want a race to the top. America's not going to compete based on low skill, low wage, no workers rights. That's not our competitive advantage. There's always going to be some other country that can treat its workers worse.
There is nothing new about this fight for workers, but it is a shame that the same old fight must be fought generation after generation.
