Last Friday on the House Floor was yet another example of why Virginians across the state are very fortunate to have a Republican Majority in the House of Delegates.
SB 161 came over from the Democratic controlled Senate chamber and was the second attempt this session to allow businesses in the Commonwealth to unionize. Virginia is currently one of 22 states in the nation that is conisdered to be a "Right-to-Work" state and has been since 1947. Thankfully Delegate Jimmy Massie spoke against this bill and brought all of it's many flaws to light ...
Senator Donald McEachin is the Senate patron of this bill. He is serving his first term as Senator from Richmond, and it is my hope that he will find something more productive to do with his time than to pursue legislation that would eliminate a statute that has made Virginia such a prosperous state.
7 comments:
The failure of this blog to comment on the VA Supreme Court ruling that HB 3202 and it's unaccoutable, all-appointed regional taxing authorities are UNCONSTITUTIONAL is stunning!
This ruling has to be one of the biggest stories in decades - and this blog ignores it?
I am very disappointed.
-Reid Greenmun
Virignia Beach Taxpayer's Alliance
Transportation Cahirman
Republicans: No one cares about right to work...no one...absolutely no one.
This is exactly why you are leading yourselves right into the minority.
Talk about issues that MATTER TO PEOPLE!!!!!! Talk about how you have completely failed to keep spending down...talk about how you have completely abandoned the pro-life position...talk about how you are floating tax increases...
Oh yea, you can't talk about those things can you...BECAUSE THEY MAKE YOU LOOK LIKE DEMOCRATS!!!
You've lost the moderates. You've abandoned the base. You have no ideas for the future.
But great job on the absolutely meaningless right to work law.
What do you mean that no one cares about "Right to Work" legislation? There are lots of Virginians who would be affected by this law. We have the choice to join a union, so why should we be forced?
Reid, as for HB 3202, Delegate Bob Marshall was the chief plaintiff in this lawsuit. It was being reported by many other blogs (such as Go Bob Go, a blogsite dedicated to Marshall's U.S. Senate race) and throughout the Virginia media. It was a victory for all of us who are concerned with the unconstitutionality of the regional taxing authorities.
The Right-to-Work Law protects my job and the jobs of most people I know, And I thank the House GOP for protecting this vital statute.
From National Right To Work: www.nrtw.org/blog
"More on Volvo Strike: Coffin at Union Hall Reads "All Scabs Welcome Here"
Wed, 03/12/2008 - 09:52 — Justin Hakes
More reports of alleged union inimidation of employees during a strike at Volvo near Roanoke, Virginia, are pouring out today, including a news story by WDBJ-TV. The video report also shows a makeshift coffin put up outside the union hall with an arrow pointing into it and reading "All Scabs Welcome Here."
The report also quotes several employees:
"I expected them to call me a scab. I expected that," says Volvo worker Dreama Domniguez. "What I didn't expect was some of the men that I sorta admired, thought they were descent people, to grope themselves as I drove by."
The employees go on to detail reports we cited yesterday about a broken car window, nails in their driveways, and sugar in a gas tank.
"It scared me but the more I thought about it, it made me angry and if I had to walk over those nails to get into work I would have done it," says Domniguez.
All these brave employees did was show up to work. Sadly, while this situation has gained some attention, the National Institute for Labor Relations Research says that the vast majority of instances of union violence (including both physical and property damage) go unprosecuted."
What more do you need to know about Right to Work?
turkeyridge,
I'm from Pulaski County, and somehow doubt you are given your choice to post from a national site rather than local news coverage. UAW2069 ran one of the most disciplined picket lines I've ever witnessed, and Dreama Domniguez spent her time shouting claims left and right with little or no basis in the truth and wrote inflammatory letters to the editor condemning union members for greed, while they were striking for her health and safety (not just theirs) Are you aware of the primary reason for the strike? The bolts used in the assembly of the tractor trailers at the Volvo plant are made from cadmium, an element that can wreak havoc on kidneys and livers after prolonged exposure. Volvo wasn't forthcoming with requests by employees regarding workplace incidents, cancer rates amongst exposed employees, and other data.
There's two sides to these stories. Look at both of them before you jump to conclusions.
Dear Count Pulaski:
Sorry it took so long for me to reply to you. Just for the heck of it I just Googled "turkeyridge" to see what came up.
Unions arguably may have had a place in the bad old days of a few moguls controlling jobs. However, in today's free marketplace and scarcity of qualified labor, well prepared hourly wage earners have the upper hand.
If you don't know cadmium can hurt you (obviously you do!) then you need to educate yourself. If you do and still choose to work for Volvo (or any other factory) you have made the decision to take the risk.
If employers are evil, workers are lazy and stupid. (I've been on both sides of this equation--- and have little sympathy for either.)
America needs to protect the opportunities of free market capitalism. Unions are its enemy.
Unions, as currently protected by government, should be put out of business.
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