Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Ruh-roh: No Rights at Work coming to Pennsylvania?

This just in: Anti-worker extremist politicians in Pennsylvania held a news conference this morning to introduce a package of bills that would weaken workers' rights.

Of course, that's not what they say it does.

The Patriot-News reports,
Sponsors of what's called the "Pennsylvania Open Workforce Initiative" -- a package of Right to Work bills -- along with leading Right to Work advocates, are hosting a press conference this morning to introduce what they bill as "zero-cost legislative measures to create jobs and restore basic freedoms to Pennsylvania workers." 
Today's announcement could signal the commencement of a bruising political debate over workers' rights and the status and power of labor unions vs. Pennsylvania employers. It would echo pitched battles in other Rust Belt states... 
However, Pennsylvania is one of only four states having a Republican governor and a Republican-controlled legislature that does not have a right-to-work law. And recently, Gov. Tom Corbett said Pennsylvania “lacks the will” to pass a right-to-work bill. His spokesman has said that the governor supports the legislation and would sign it, but that a bill is unlikely to pass the Legislature. Previously-introduced right-to-work bills have languished in Pennsylvania’s Legislature.
They languished in Michigan, too. Look what happened there.