New bill hopes to bar mandatory unionism

WFB: Rep. Joe Wilson (R., S.C.) announced the introduction of the National Right to Work Act on Wednesday. The bill would prohibit companies from requiring workers to pay union dues or fees as a condition of employment.

Wilson called right to work “crucial” to South Carolina’s economic development in recent years, pointing to the expansion of manufacturing employment, which has increased by 25 percent since 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“Every worker should have the power to decide whether or not to negotiate for themselves with their employer,” Wilson said at a press conference.

Twenty-seven states have already adopted right to work legislation, meaning that the federal law would only affect residents in 23 states, many of which are controlled by Democrats. The National Labor Relations Act made clear that states are within their rights to adopt right to work policies, but Wilson said Congress erred when it made monopoly unionism the default position, rather than creating an opt-in system.

“Congress created the problem—it is the responsibility of Congress to correct it,” he said. “The National Right to Work Act does that simply by listening to the majority of American workers and erasing the automatic dues clauses in federal statute.”

Wilson was joined by former Southwest flight attendant Charlene Carter, who was fired from her job shortly after criticizing union leadership for its pro-abortion advocacy. She is now suing the company and her union for discriminating against her religious views. She said the dispute would not have come about if she was not forced to subsidize the union’s political views, such as its support for the 2018 Women’s March.  more here