[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 7, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E52-E53]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       THE INTRODUCTION OF THE NATIONAL RIGHT TO WORK ACT OF 1997

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB GOODLATTE

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 7, 1997

  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce on this first 
day of the 105th Congress the National Right to Work Act of 1997.

[[Page E53]]

  This act will reduce Federal power over the American workplace by 
removing those provisions of Federal law authorizing the collection of 
forced-union dues as a part of a collective bargaining contract.
  Since the Wagner Act of 1935 made forced-union dues a keystone of 
Federal labor law, millions of American workers have been forced to pay 
for union representation that they neither choose nor desire.
  The primary beneficiaries of Right to Work are America's workers--
even those who voluntarily choose to pay union dues, because when union 
officials are deprived of the forced-dues power granted them under 
current Federal law they'll be more responsive to the workers' needs 
and concerns.
  Mr. Speaker, this act is pro-worker, pro-economic growth, and pro-
freedom.
  The 21 States with Right to Work laws, including my own State of 
Virginia, have a nearly three-to-one advantage over non-right to work 
States in terms of job creation.
  And, according to U.S. News and World Report, 7 of the strongest 10 
State economies in the nation have Right to Work laws.
  Workers who have the freedom to choose whether or not to join a union 
have a higher standard of living than their counterparts in non-Right 
to Work States. According to Dr. James Bennett, an economist with the 
highly-respected economics department at George Mason University, on 
average, urban families in Right to Work States have approximately 
$2,852 more annual purchasing power than urban families in non-Right to 
Work States when the lower taxes, housing and food costs of Right to 
Work States are taken into consideration.
  The National Right to Work Act would make the economic benefits of 
voluntary unionism a reality for all Americans.
  But this bill is about more than economics, it's about freedom.
  Compelling a man or woman to pay fees to a union in order to work 
violates the very principle of individual liberty upon which this 
Nation was founded.
  Oftentimes forced dues are used to support causes the worker does not 
wish to support with his or her hard-earned wages.
  Thomas Jefferson said it best, ``* * * to compel a man to furnish 
contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he 
disbelieves is sinful and tyrannical.''
  By passing the National Right to Work Act, this Congress will take a 
major step towards restoring the freedom of America's workers to choose 
the form of workplace representation that best suits their needs.
  In a free society, the decision of whether or not to join or support 
a union should be made by a worker, not a union official, not an 
employer, and certainly not the U.S. Congress.
  The National Right to Work Act reduces Federal power over America's 
labor markets, promotes economic growth and a higher standard of 
living, and enhances freedom.
  No wonder, according to a poll by the respected Marketing Research 
Institute, 77 percent of Americans support Right to Work, and over 50 
percent of union households believe workers should have the right to 
choose whether or not to join or pay dues to a labor union.
  No other piece of legislation before this Congress will benefit this 
Nation as much as the National Right to Work Act.
  I urge my colleagues to quickly pass the National Right to Work Act 
and free millions of Americans from forced-dues tyranny.

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