[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 68 (Tuesday, April 20, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H1962-H1963]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     SUPPORTING RIGHT-TO-WORK LAWS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Alabama (Mr. Brooks) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BROOKS. Madam Speaker, earlier this month, employees at Amazon's 
Bessemer, Alabama, fulfillment facility rejected unionization by a 
1,798-738 vote. That is a monumental 70 percent against unions to a 
meager 30 percent for unions.
  Bam. That kind of vote sends a powerful anti-union, pro-liberty 
message to America and the world.
  I applaud Amazon's Bessemer employees for rejecting unionization 
attempts by out-of-state agitators, from the President to Hollywood 
actors and on down. A primary reason why Amazon chose to locate nearly 
6,000 good-paying jobs in Alabama is Alabama's nonunion reputation.
  Alabama maintains that reputation after Bessemer's overwhelming anti-
union vote, thus ensuring even more companies will relocate even more 
good-paying jobs from union States up north into Alabama.
  Alabama is a right-to-work State.
  What does ``right to work'' mean?
  Right-to-work laws protect citizens from being forced against their 
will to join a union, pay union dues, and subject themselves to union 
bosses.
  Alabama's right-to-work status gives Alabama a strong economic 
advantage over forced union States. For example, 69 percent of jobs 
reshored from overseas back into America between 2010 and 2019 have 
gone to right-to-work States. U.S. Commerce Department data, adjusted 
for cost-of-living differences, revealed that 2019's manufacturing job 
pay in right-to-work States averaged $83,000 per employee, $4,000 more 
than in forced union States. That is a big difference in pay.
  According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, right-to-work States' 
overall job growth was a robust 11 percent over the past decade versus 
a meager 2.4 percent in forced union States. When that data is limited 
to manufacturing jobs only, right-to-work States, over the past decade, 
enjoyed a very good 9.1 percent increase in manufacturing jobs while 
forced union States had a horrible two-tenths of 1 percent cut in 
manufacturing jobs.
  Better yet, 2018 Census data reveals that after-tax mean income per 
household, after cost-of-living adjustment, was $64,572 in right-to-
work States versus $60,244 in forced union States. That is, on average, 
$4,328 more real, adjusted for cost of living, income per capita in 
right-to-work versus union States. That is a huge difference.
  So, Madam Speaker, the economic data clearly proves that right-to-
work laws benefit workers. Consistent with that economic prosperity and 
desire for

[[Page H1963]]

freedom and liberty--after all, no one likes being told what they can 
and cannot do--74 percent of Americas say they support right-to-work 
laws, according to a recent Gallup Poll.
  Despite overwhelming American support for right-to-work laws, 
dictatorial Socialists in March rammed through the House a bill that 
repeals all right-to-work laws in America. Worse yet, dictatorial 
Socialists seek to use President Biden's infrastructure bill to slip in 
a provision that repeals all right-to-work laws in America.
  I hope neither of these terrible dictatorial bills ever reaches 
President Biden's desk. Certainly, I will vote against them and I will 
vote for freedom, liberty, and protection of America's right-to-work 
laws.
  Madam Speaker, America would be stronger if more States would enact 
right-to-work laws. I encourage citizens and elected officials to 
promote right-to-work laws, freedom of choice, and the freedom and 
liberty right-to-work laws represent.

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