1. Out of state groups, like NRWC, funded
by corporate PACs, are driving this effort in Colorado, as in 22 other
states.
2. Taft-Hartley outlawed
union membership as a condition of employment ("closed shop") in 1947 and
it's still illegal in the US and Colorado.
3. Firing an employee
for failure to pay union dues is illegal under Taft-Hartley in the US and
Colorado.
4. Union members
in Colorado are only 8.7% of workforce, and those covered by union negotiated
contracts, whether members or not, are only 9.2%.
5. National union
membership is 12% down, from 20.1% in 1983.
6. Union shops from
other states will not support nonunion shops here for conventions, concerts,
theater, etc.
7. It will cost $25-35 million to
keep unions healthy in the state and fight to out of state groups trying to
lower the standard of living here.
8. Union busting
efforts like this are a violation of Libertarian and Conservative principles of
government hands off labor.
9. Workers in
"right to work" states earn on average $3,500 - $5,300 a year less than workers
in free bargaining states.
10. Only one Right to Work state out of 22 has per capita
personal income above the national average.
11. Of the 15
states with the highest average hourly earnings for manufacturing workers
14 or 93% are free bargaining states.
12. Workers
with health care coverage in free states is 23% higher than Right to Work
state.
13. Unemployment
benefits are 20% more in free bargaining states.
14. Workers
compensation benefits for injured workers in "right to work" states are 20%
less than free states.
15. The rate
of workplace death is 51% higher in "right to work" states, so lawsuits are
much more common.
16. "Right to work"
states spend $1,699 less on elementary and secondary students than free bargaining
states, due to teacher's union busting.
18. Infant mortality
rate in "right to work" states is 17% higher than in other states.
19. The poverty
rate is 12.5%t compared with 10.2% in free bargaining states.
20. The Supreme
Court has ruled that a union must represent all employees in a bargaining
unit whether or not they are members of the union.
21. Income taxes
will fall in direct proportion to lower wages.
22. Hispanic union members earn 50% more each week than
nonunion Hispanics, and African Americans earn 31% more each week if they
are union members.
23. Nationally,
the gap between men's and women's pay is 32%, but between all men and
union women the gap is only 5 percent.
24. 44% of signatures were
rejected and "right to work" workers were taped lying to people to get them
to sign the petition.
25.
Anti worker changes in "right to work" states include: reductions in vacation,
holiday, severance, or sick pay, easier firings, less rest periods, breaks,
lunch breaks, holidays off, or vacations, less premium pay for weekends
or holidays worked, reduced pay raises or fringe benefits, less limits
on the number of hours an employee can work per day or week for those 16 years
of age or older.