A Right to Work

Wisconsin may be a little late to the party when it comes to legislation on unions and the workplace, but those in charge are trying to waste no time in getting it into law.

Majority rules, the saying goes, and sometimes it also rolls.  As in rolls over the usual process to get things done quickly.

Just this past week it was announced Right to Work legislation would be introduced in the Wisconsin Senate this week into committee and moved to the floor for a vote.

It is a contentious issue for many - especially those in unions and supportive of unions who watched in 2011 that essentially stripped public workers of their right to organize.  Right to Work doesn't dismantle unions directly, but it does prevent bargained contracts from requiring all workers to be in the union and says they don't need to pay dues.

Last year's election decided the outcome of this debate, with those in favor of the idea having the votes in the Senate and House to pass the bill and a Governor who now says he will sign it.  Wisconsin was an island amidst Midwest states not to have this law on the books, and those in favor believe taking care of this will lead to more jobs.

Yet, it isn't this issue that is so troubling to me.  It's the way this is coming about.  If this is an issue a politician feels strongly about and believes should be in place... why not say so and campaign in favor it before you are up for election?

The Senate hearing on Tuesday further illustrated some troubling things about the politics of passing this bill.

It is being moved quickly through an "extraordinary session" so it can take affect before employers and unions might choose to extend contracts before it becomes law, at which point the contracts would not have the same effect.

If employers and unionized employees want to extend what is working... what is the problem?

The hearing was full, but cut off before the scheduled end of public comment on the legislation. 

Another thing that makes no sense to me.  Especially when you have the votes, listen to the comments - who knows, there might be something said that could improve the bill.  If the fear is that once more people know what going on it wouldn't pass - that would seem to be a reason to put on the brakes.

In my opinion, its just not a good way to conduct the people's business.

It's easy to take shots at unions - especially as their presence has diminished from the American landscape.  The perception is unions raise the price of goods and protects workers unnecessarily.

Less than 100 years ago, unions gained strength because they offered the best way for average Americans to make a living wage, work reasonable hours, and work in safe conditions.  Those unions helped create the American middle class and cultivated the American Dream in the parents of the Baby Boom generation.

It was the idea that a bread earner laboring in the factories; built roads; or worked in the mines deserved a wage that put a roof over their heads, food on the table, and kept that dream alive in the hearts and minds of children growing up in those homes.

This may be a good idea - I can't claim to know for sure that it isn't.

But I wonder if some of our collective nostalgia for the "good ol' days" ignore some of the realities our parents wanted to reach past to a better future for all.