Cover Story

Right-to-work?

Unions are fighting against codifying ‘right-to-work’ laws in Tennessee

BY AMANDA HAGGARD

Ahead of the November election, unions in Tennessee are preparing for a fight against an effort to enshrine the state’s 75-year-old “right-to-work” law in the state’s constitution.

In the past two legislative sessions, state lawmakers voted to add a constitutional amendment regarding the right-to-work statute, but voters themselves would have to agree and vote in favor of the Amendment 1 in order for it to be added permanently to the state constitution.

Republicans tout the law as a way to keep workers from having to join a union against their wishes, and Gov. Bill and former Gov. Bill Haslam have championed adding the law to the state’s constitution, calling it a great way to bring more jobs to the state. Twenty-seven states now have right-to-work laws and a third of them have codified the statutes into their state constitutions.

Tennessee’s AFL-CIO Labor Council says adding this to the state's constitution only puts workers at a disservice. Alyssa Hansen, communications and political director for AFL-CIO, answered a few questions about how this action could affect Tennesseans.

Photo by Alvine

The term "right-to-work" is obviously a bit of a misnomer. Can you explain a bit about how right-to-work states differ from those without right-to-work laws?

The true burden of ‘right-to-work’ laws ultimately falls on working families in the states where these laws exist. For example, workers in ‘right-to-work’ states earn nearly $9,000 less annually, have a higher number of minimum wage jobs (Tennessee is at the top of the list for this statistic), have higher poverty rates, and more dangerous workplaces. When corporate special interest groups are able to have virtually unchecked power through these laws, workers are the ones who are put at risk. Tennessee is also an at-will employment state. ‘right-to-work’ laws in any state strip workers from having a voice in negotiating wages, benefits and safe workplaces. Anyone in Tennessee without a union

contract can be fired without cause. No due process. No questions asked.

How does this amendment differ from our current law?

‘Right-to-work’ has been the law in Tennessee since 1947 (75 years). In that time, even when the Democrats were in control, there has never been a serious effort to repeal the law. Amendment 1 would simply enshrine Tennessee’s harmful ‘right-to-work’ in our state constitution. Doing so, however, would tie the hands of future legislators, union members, and Tennessee voters. While it’s not necessarily an easy process to amend the constitution, it’s often more difficult to remove a measure years later.

What are the potential downfalls of enshrining this law into our state's constitution?

Our constitution is a sacred document that should only be amended in very rare circumstances, not to include every item on a political party’s wish list. “right-to-work” is already state law. Trying to enshrine it in the constitution is a waste of time and money that’s designed to score political points. We’ve got much more pressing issues facing our state (lack of good-paying jobs, for example) that leaders should focus on instead. Enshrining Tennessee’s ‘right-to-work’ law in our state constitution ties the hands of future legislators, union members, and Tennessee voters.

What industries and workers does this affect most?

Whether or not their workplace is represented by a union contract, ‘right-to-work’ laws affect all workers in the states that have them. In today’s economy, employers and employees should be working together to create safe, good-paying jobs instead of the government trying to manage the private sector.

How is AFL-CIO organizing ahead of Nov. 8 and what are the major worries about how this could pan out?

As the leading voice for Tennessee’s working families, we’re focused on undertaking a grassroots effort that brings together union members, affiliated organizations, community supporters, etc. Just like our membership (which represents a wide-variety of political views), any Tennessean who is committed to helping us defeat Amendment 1 is welcome to join us in this effort. Unlike when this measure went through the legislature, the decision on whether to enshrine Tennessee’s ‘right-to-work’ law in the constitution now rests with the voters. Tennesseans are tired of being represented by wealthy politicians who couldn't care less about their needs and are hungry for new leadership. We’re confident they’ll see through this political pandering by the rich and powerful. Is there anything I haven't asked about that is necessary to know?

I think that folks should pay close attention to who’s doing the majority of the talking for Yes on 1, the group that’s pushing for Amendment 1’s passage. A couple of weeks ago, Yes on 1 released a digital spot featuring Governor Bill Lee and former Governor Bill Haslam singing the praises of ‘right-to-work’ and telling Tennesseans why they should vote in favor of Amendment 1 in November. When you’ve got two billionaire politicians attempting to tell Tennesseans how they should vote on a measure that affects working people, it’s abundantly clear who is behind the push: corporate special interest groups, big business, and greedy politicians who are laser-focused on cementing their power and influence for generations to come. In addition, organizations that support Amendment 1 like the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and the Beacon Center of Tennessee do not have the best interests of workers in mind. Instead, along with their supporters, they are most concerned with lining their own pockets and willing to do it by any means necessary. These groups and their wealthy backers already have too much power in our state. Working families deserve to have their needs addressed too.

What do people get wrong about right-to-work laws?

The term ‘right-to-work’ might sound good on paper, but in reality, it’s the complete opposite. Proponents of ‘right-to-work’ love to claim that these laws are about protecting workers’ freedom to join or not to join a union. That’s false. Federal law already protects someone from being forced to join a union. ‘right-to-work’ is about freedom only in this way: it’s about taking away the freedom of working people to join together.