Old News on Right to Work

     A guest editorial in the Oregonian  today opined about the trampled rights of union workers who have to pay union dues and how much greener the grass is in the Right to Work states.  The arguments themselves are pretty shop-worn.  What’s important is that they bubble to the surface every now and then.

      Well, the replies are also pretty standard by now.  Here’s one recently by President Obama: “These so-called right to work laws, they don’t have to do with economics. They have everything to do with politics. What they’re really talking about is giving you the right to work for less money.”

      … and another from that fanatical bastion of liberalism, the Wall Street Journal:  “The median private-sector union member made $878 a week in 2011 compared to $716 for nonmembers, a nearly 23% premium. (The premium was somewhat smaller in the manufacturing sector: $836 per week for union members for $780 per week for nonmembers.) Such comparisons have limited value since there are numerous other variables that affect wages. But to the extent there is a union wage premium, the added cost of dues doesn’t appear to negate it.

 “Then there’s the question of benefits: 94% of private-sector union members have access to health-care benefits, versus 67% of nonunion members, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  And employers cover on average 83% of health insurance premiums for union members and their families versus 66% for nonunion members. Union members are also more likely to get paid vacation and sick time and retirement and life insurance benefits.”

     If you're jealous of the unions, join one.  If you're in one, support it.  There are many who are working very hard to "restore your rights."