[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 37 (Tuesday, March 20, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E404]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   NATIONAL RIGHT TO WORK ACT OF 2001

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB GOODLATTE

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 20, 2001

  Mr. GOODLATTE Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to introduce the 
National Right to Work Act of 2001.
  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 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 will be more responsive to the workers'needs 
and concerns.
  Mr. Speaker, this act is pro-worker, pro-economic growth, and pro-
freedom.
  The twenty-one 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.
  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. The National Right to Work Act would make the economic 
benefits of voluntary unionism a reality for all Americans.
  While this bill is about economics, it is more 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 union dues are used to support 
causes that 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 toward 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.
  I urge my colleagues to quickly pass the National Right to Work Act 
and free millions of Americans from the tyranny of forced-union dues.

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