[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 5375-5376]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          RIGHT-TO-WORK ZONES

  (Mr. FOSTER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FOSTER. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to commend the communities in 
my district that have rejected the Governor of Illinois' efforts to 
create so-called right-to-work zones.
  Rather than lifting Illinois up to make life better for working 
families, the Governor's divisive plan would drag down all corners of 
the State into a race to the bottom. These zones are a gimmick to pit 
communities against each other, to deprive workers of their rights, and 
to weaken unions.
  Rather than creating good-paying jobs for Illinois workers, these 
zones will depress wages across the State by incentivizing companies to 
move to whatever town offers them the possibility of paying lower wages 
and offering fewer benefits.
  We shouldn't be asking hard-working men and women to work for 
poverty-level wages to make up for the fiscal deficit Illinois faces, a 
deficit which is caused, in large part, by laws that we pass right here 
on the floor of Congress that cause the citizens of Illinois to pay $20 
billion more each year in taxes than we get back in Federal spending.
  Unions did not cause the problems that Illinois faces, and cutting 
workers' pay will not solve them. So I commend those in Naperville, 
Aurora Township, Oswego, and communities throughout Illinois fighting 
against this bad policy. I am proud to stand with you.

[[Page 5376]]



                          ____________________