“Republicans and right-wing politicians have long worked to bankrupt unions and weaken the labour movement, on both sides of the border,” said Mark Hancock, CUPE National President. “Now it appears the Republican majority in Congress, emboldened by the election of Donald Trump, are pushing ahead with this attack on unions and working Americans.”
In the last five years, in a state-by-state battle that began in Wisconsin, five other states passed right-to-work laws themselves. In addition, Kentucky became the 27th right to work state on January 7, 2017. Right-to-work legislation is currently on the desk of the Republican governor in Missouri, and New Hampshire’s Senate has passed similar legislation which is now being debated in their lower house.
The “National Right-to-Work Act”, as the bill is known, was introduced in the US House of Representatives by Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) and Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC). If passed, as national legislation, it would supersede state-level labour relations laws and apply to workers across all sectors.
“As more and more states adopt regressive right-to-work laws and with a radical right-wing agenda taking shape in the White House, it’s never been more important for workers on both sides of the border to stand together,” continued Hancock. “CUPE will support our labour allies and progressive forces in the US in their efforts to turn back this attack on labour.”