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No RTWColumbus, Ohio – An Ohio lawmaker said he plans to introduce a “right-to-work” bill that would prohibit private-sector labor union membership as a condition of employment.

State Rep. Tom Brinkman said Wednesday that his bill, which he plans to introduce next month, would ban “closed shops” and forbid unions from charging “fair-share fees” to non-union workers at private-sector workplaces. The Cincinnati Republican said he intends to introduce the bill sometime next month.

The lawmaker said his legislation would not apply to public-sector unions, which were controversially targeted with similar restrictions by Senate Bill 5 in 2011 until Ohio voters rejected it.

Read more from Cleveland.com. 

A new report from the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) shows that Latino union workers have distinct advantages over their non-union peers in terms of their bring home pay and benefits.
“Latino Workers and Unions: A Strategic Partnership for America’s Progress” provides the latest data on the wages and benefits afforded Latino workers through union membership.
The report finds that unionized Latino workers make $11,544 more in yearly wages. In addition, their non-union counterparts face an increased chance of wage theft and on the job mortality while also receiving the lowest quality pension and health insurance coverage.
The report also recommends that unions begin extensive outreach to the Latino community in order to impact workers’ rights and increase their own power.

No RTWThe sponsor of a proposed ballot measure aimed at making union dues voluntary for public employees may well drop the initiative after receiving a politically unpalatable ballot title.

Portland attorney Jill Gibson said she is leaning toward abandoning the proposal after the Oregon Supreme Court upheld a ballot description that will make the measure harder to sell to voters.

The measure, which is being closely watched by the state’s unions, would end the state law requiring public employees represented by union contracts to pay dues regardless of whether they join. Instead, dues would be voluntary for non-members.

Read more from The Oregonian. 

Missouri Right To Work VetoMissouri State Legislative Director Ken Menges asks Missouri SMART members to join in the fight against right-to-work. Although Governor Jay Nixon vetoed the right-to-work legislation June 4 at the SMART Sheet Metal Local 36 facility, a battle has been raging in the state to get that veto overturned.

A veto session is scheduled for Wednesday, September 16, 2015 to revisit the right-to-work legislation and to overturn the veto.

“We have worked hard since the legislative session ended in May to visit and show support for both our Democrat and Republican friends,” Menges said. “I would like to extend a special thanks to Assistant State Director Jason Hayden (Local 1405 – St. Louis), Local Legislative Representatives Thad Krawczyk (Local 933 – Jefferson City, Mo.), Josh Stallings (Local 1823 – St. Louis), Gerald Wohlgemuth (Local 226 – Moberly, Mo.) and Dan Coleman (Local 1780 – Kansas City, Mo.) for spending several days canvassing door-to-door, working to get letters from union members to their legislators and thanking them for their support.

“According to the Missouri AFL-CIO we have had nearly 20,000 letters and calls go out to legislators, which is phenomenal.”

A rally was held September 12 in preparation for the fight against Governor Nixon’s veto being overturned. The rally was attended by hundreds of union members across the state, including SMART membership. Governor Jay Nixon was a keynote speaker at the event.

Mo rally_Nixon
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon addresses attendees at an anti-right-to-work rally
Sept. 12 rally against overturning right-to-work veto is attended by hundreds of union members.
Sept. 12 rally against overturning right-to-work veto is attended by hundreds of union members.

Missouri Right To Work VetoJEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A major Republican donor, David Humphreys, who had been relatively quiet donated half a million dollars to a new committee Sept. 15 that is rumored to be targeting Republicans that support Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of Right-to-Work legislation.
Days ago, the “Committee for Accountable Government in Missouri” filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission and Humphreys, President and CEO of Joplin-based Tamko Building Products and a longtime generous Republican donor, dropped $500K into the committee.
Read more from The Missouri Times.

webshot3Rising out of the Nevada desert is Las Vegas’s newest addition to its entertainment lineup. The $375 million arena will be a destination for sports fans and tourists looking to escape the heat in a new 20,000 seat arena encased in an envelope of copper. The project, located west of the Las Vegas Strip between the New York-New York and Monte Carlo hotels, is financed by MGM Resorts and the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG).
Crown Corr is the contractor responsible for the building’s unique copper siding that will make it stand out—even in Las Vegas’ iconic and visually busy skyline.
While the building’s main purpose is to house a potential NHL franchise beginning in 2017, the facility will also be used to house NBA games; boxing and UFC matches; and concerts and special events.
Contractor Praises Union Crews
Crown Corr is expected to employ several hundred Sheet Metal Local 88 members during the coming year. They will be fabricating approximately 19,000 square feet of metal shingles along with 140,000 square feet of panels for inside and outside the arena. Bill Belanger, Crown Corr’s site superintendent, raved about the Local 88 members on the job, saying he has, “worked all around the web2United States installing architectural panel systems, and the manpower from local 88 is second to none.”  “The employees that we have on this site—from Journeyman to Apprentices—are the most prideful and safety conscious group I have had the pleasure to work with.”  Referring to the complicated and technical process required to complete a contract of this magnitude, Bellanger noted that, “the installation of the panel system on this project is not only difficult, but extremely tight in tolerance, which must be maintained for proper fit and finish. This seamless execution of this work exhibits Union Pride.”
Quality Mechanical, one of Local 88’s largest contractors, is also performing work on the arena project.   Bob Sidebottom, their sheet metal general foreman for the project, noted that, “we’ve been looking forward to doing this project. It presents some unique challenges that our team has handled admirably. This job will be an example of our craftsmanship and our ability to bring a project in on budget.”
THE LAS VEGAS ARENA, OWNED BY AEG AND MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL, IS BEING CONSTRUCTED BY HUNT -PENTA, A JOINT VENTURE.
 
Las%20Vegas%20-%20Arena%20Side%203

Missouri Right To Work VetoUnion members are making sure Missouri Republican lawmakers who voted against ‘right-to-work’ earlier this year know that they will have union support during the next election.
Missouri’s chapter of the AFL-CIO held a rally and knocked on doors Saturday in Jefferson County ahead of the General Assembly’s veto session next Wednesday. That’s when a vote to override Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of a  “right-to-work” bill could be brought to the floor. The measure would bar making union dues a condition of employment.  Currently a business or union can require dues when a majority of workers have voted to organize.
Read more from St. Louis Public Radio.

Sept. 12 rally against overturning right-to-work veto is attended by hundreds of union members.
Sept. 12 rally against overturning right-to-work veto is attended by hundreds of union members.

Missouri Right To Work VetoJefferson City, Mo. — Not enough Missouri lawmakers appear to support a contentious right-to-work measure to overturn Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of the bill, an Associated Press analysis shows.
Interviews with lawmakers indicate House Republicans in favor of right to work are short of the needed two-thirds majority required to overturn Nixon’s veto heading into Wednesday’s legislative session.
At least nine of the 23 Republican House members who voted against the legislation in May told AP they plan to support Nixon’s veto if the proposal is brought up for an override vote, and another has publicly said she still opposes right to work. The bill would prohibit workplace contracts that require union fees to be collected from nonmembers.
Read more from Springfield News-Leader.

Scott_Walker
Walker

MADISON, Wis.—Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker on Monday will call for sweeping restrictions on organized labor in the U.S., seeking to replicate nationwide his successful effort as Wisconsin’s governor to curb the power of unions.

At a town hall meeting in Las Vegas, Walker will propose eliminating unions for employees of the federal government, making all workplaces right-to-work unless individual states vote otherwise, scrapping the federal agency that oversees unfair labor practices and making it more difficult for unions to organize.

Many of Walker’s proposals are focused on unions for workers at all levels of government, while others would also affect private-sector unions. Labor law experts said such an effort, if successful, would substantially reduce the power of organized labor in America.
Read more from Yahoo.com.

3048562424_f343492258_oA new Canadian study has found that unionized construction workers reported 23 percent fewer injuries that require time off than their non-unionized counterparts. The study was conducted by the Institute for Work and Health and focused on the time period between the years 2006 to 2012. It was published by the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and is the first peer reviewed Canadian study to investigate union safety in Ontario’s construction industry.
The study focused on claims from over 40,000 construction firms. The study also found that while unionized firms filed fewer claims for injuries that required time off, they actually filed more claims for injuries which resulted in “no lost time.” According to Institute for Work & Health Senior Scientist Dr. Ben Amick, co-lead investigator on the study:
“These findings suggest that unionized workers are encouraged to report injuries, including injuries that don’t require time away from the job. At the same time, these reporting practices enable construction unions to better identify and proactively manage workplace hazards that lead to injury.”
The journal article concludes that apprenticeships and more of a focus on safety and training requirements allow union workers to report incidents without fear of retaliation. You can read more here via We Party Patriots.