Union workers 'ready to fight' over 'right to work' bills
Around 300 main workers came to the capitol on Tuesday to ask their legislators to vote against two "right to work" bills. Maine does not require employees to join a union if they choose not to, but doe require workers who are covered by union contracts to pay agency fees if they choose not to join the union. The workers are asking that the legislature vote against the bills, which would eliminate those agency fees and make Maine a right-to-work state. The Governor supports to bills, and some fear that a Republican controlled legislature will be able to pass them. Workers say that the bills might encourage some to leave the union and still get benefits from union representation, which they say would weaken their bargaining power and leverage. There are no public hearings currently scheduled for the bills.
See "Union workers 'ready to fight' over 'right to work' bills", Matt Wickenheiser, Bangor Daily News, March 22, 2011