The Right to Work bill now working its way through the Legislature deserves an up-or-down vote.

All the private union members will be told that it is an attack against them. The truth, however, is that private unions are not the focus of the bill. This bill is to take away some of the power from the public-sector union bosses and return it to the workers.

Today, the state ensures that the money flows into the union coffers by law by deducting the money out of every worker’s pay check. Workers who do not want to support or contribute to the union have no right to refuse.

The government unions then take that money and the influence it buys to work — often times — against the best interests of the taxpayers. These public-sector unions are not governed by the same rules as the private unions.

When the private union and the company owner bargain each side has “skin in the game.” Both sides, therefore, do the best they can for their side. If the company remains profitable, then life is good.

The government union sits down at the table with public officials, but the owner — meaning us the taxpayers — is not in that room.

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No less a figure than Franklin Delano Roosevelt figured out that government unions cannot be allowed.

The bill before the Legislature will not force workers to join or stay in the government union if they don’t want to. People should not be forced to pay tribute to union bosses to get or keep a job.

Steve Olson

Chelsea


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