 |
| (Image from Ed Notes Online) |
The following is My Commentary on Right-To-Work Law and my attempt at 'paraphrasing' the viral online article "Thank a Union: 36 Ways Unions Have Improved Your Life" (please see below for the article):
My Commentary on Right-To-Work Law
(Or, "Anti-Union is Anti-Worker")
Right-To-Work Law protects you from the following workers' benefits for which unions fought hard and for a long time—and some people even died—in order to win these benefits: weekends, all breaks at work, paid vacation, Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), sick leave, Social Security, minimum wage, Civil Rights Act/Title VII (prohibits employer discrimination), 8-hour work day, overtime pay, child labor laws, Occupational Safety Health Act (OSHA), 40-hour work week, worker's compensation, unemployment insurance, pensions, workplace safety standards and regulations, employer health care insurance, collective bargaining rights for employees, wrongful termination laws, Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, whistleblower protection laws, Employee Polygraph Protect Act (prohibits employer from using a lie detector test on an employee), Veteran's Employment and Training Service (VETS), compensation increases and evaluations (raises), sexual harassment laws, Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), holiday pay, employer dental, life and vision insurance, privacy rights, pregnancy and parental leave, military leave, the right to strike, public education for children, the equal pay acts of 1963 [Equal Pay Act of 1963] and 2011 [Paycheck Fairness Act] (requires employers pay men and women equally for the same amount of work) and the laws ending sweatshops in the United States.
-Paul Whiting
(a.k.a., Poet, Artist and Philosopher)
"I am the poet who thinks that he knows it!"
My Writing About Every Worker's Right To Freely Join A Labor Union: It is every worker's right to freely join a labor union (without any forced unionism, of course), because of the many valuable benefits that are offered to labor union members, not to mention the fact that labor unions have a long and proud history of winning many victories on behalf of all workers. –Paul Whiting (written May 6th, 2012 and revised September 5th, 2022)
My Writing About Anti-Union: Anti-union is anti-worker! –Paul Whiting (written April 4th, 2015 and revised September 5th, 2022)
My Writing About How I Am Pro-Union: I am pro-union and pro-worker! –Paul Whiting (written October 16th, 2021 and revised September 5th, 2022)
My Writing About Pro-Union: Pro-union is pro-worker! –Paul Whiting (September 5th, 2022)
My Philosophical Notes:
The reason that I wrote this prose can be summed up with the following statement: "It is every worker's right to freely join a labor union (without any forced unionism, of course), because of the many valuable benefits that are offered to labor union members, not to mention the fact that labor unions have a long and proud history of winning many victories on behalf of all workers."
And this prose was also published on my "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" blog (please see the hyperlink below for the blog), since I feel that the message in this prose applies to the message that I am trying to convey through "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer."
This prose was paraphrased in Portland, Oregon.
-Paulee
https://paulwhitingwriting.blogspot.com
"Right-to-work law" from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia—which is funded primarily through donations from millions of individuals around the world, including this blogger (I make a totally affordable monthly donation):
"A 'right-to-work' law is a statute in the United States that prohibits union security agreements, or agreements between labor unions and employers, that govern the extent to which an established union can require employees' membership, payment of union dues, or fees as a condition of employment, either before or after hiring. Right-to-work laws do not aim to provide general guarantee of employment to people seeking work, but rather are a government regulation of the contractual agreements between employers and labor unions that prevents them from excluding non-union workers, or requiring employees to pay a fee to unions that have negotiated the labor contract all the employees work under.
Right-to-work provisions (either by law or by constitutional provision) exist in 25 U.S. states, mostly in the southern and western United States, but also including the midwestern states of Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin. Business interests represented by the Chamber of Commerce have lobbied extensively to pass right-to-work legislation. Such laws are allowed under the 1947 federal Taft–Hartley Act. A further distinction is often made within the law between those employed by state and municipal governments and those employed by the private sector with states that are otherwise union shop (i.e., pay union dues or lose the job) having right to work laws in effect for government employees."
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-to-work_law
"Thank a Union: 36 Ways Unions Have Improved Your Life" from the AFL-CIO:
Let's get one thing straight...
Employers and Corporations did not feel generous and decide to give you two days off every week to have a social/personal life. (We now call them weekends). Corporations did not just feel like being nice one day and give their employees paid vacations. CEOs didn't get together in a board room and say "Let's give our employees more rights at work" or "Maybe there should be laws to limit our power over an employee".
Virtually ALL the benefits you have at work, whether you work in the public or private sector, all of the benefits and rights you enjoy every day are there because unions fought hard and long for them against big business who did everything they could to prevent giving you your rights. Many union leaders and members even lost their lives for things we take for granted today.
The right-wing attack on unions is nothing more than ignorance, lack of education, and propaganda.
If republicans would rather support corporations instead of organized groups of workers working to secure a fair work environment [A.K.A a union], I ask them to walk the walk as well. Give up every benefit and right that you use that unions are responsible for.
Complete trust and submit yourself to the corporate agenda you fight for. Play by their rules with no influence from democrats or labor unions to try to force rights among the workers of this country. Dedicate your life to their life goal of making your company more money than the year before. Just understand that this may mean sacrificing the union fought rights you enjoy every day. I mean, you don't want to be a hypocrite, do you? Like bashing unions on your union fought lunch break? Which means if you practice what you preach, you don't get a lunch break.
Corporations use to work employees 80+ hours a week, offer no breaks, hire children, offer horrid, unsanitary work conditions, paid literally next to nothing, and even murder. Not murder with a pen like they do today, but actual murder. They basically did whatever they wanted.
This is what they were like before unions. Don't take my word for it, look it up. (Links at bottom of page). If we rid the world of unions tomorrow, who is to say that they won't go right back to the way they were merely 70 years ago? The GOP governor of Maine signed a bill to repeal child labor laws this year, maybe they are going back to their roots whether we have unions or not.
So conservatives, please practice what you preach and give up all these rights and leave the umbrella of these laws for they were brought to you by unions...
36 Reasons Why You Should Thank a Union
[1.] Weekends
[2.] All Breaks at Work, including your Lunch Breaks
[3.] Paid Vacation
[4.] FMLA [Family Medical Leave Act]
[5.] Sick Leave
[6.] Social Security
[7.] Minimum Wage
[8.] Civil Rights Act/Title VII (Prohibits Employer Discrimination)
[9.] 8-Hour Work Day
[10.] Overtime Pay
[11.] Child Labor Laws
[12.] Occupational Safety Health Act (OSHA)
[13.] 40 Hour Work Week
[14.] Worker's Compensation (Worker's Comp)
[15.] Unemployment Insurance
[16.] Pensions
[17.] Workplace Safety Standards and Regulations
[18.] Employer Health Care Insurance
[19.] Collective Bargaining Rights for Employees
[20.] Wrongful Termination Laws
[21.] Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967
[22.] Whistleblower Protection Laws
[23.] Employee Polygraph Protect Act (Prohibits Employer from using a lie detector test on an employee)
[24.] Veteran's Employment and Training Service (VETS)
[25.] Compensation increases and Evaluations (Raises)
[26.] Sexual Harassment Laws
[27.] Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)
[28.] Holiday Pay
[29.] Employer Dental, Life, and Vision Insurance
[30.] Privacy Rights
[31.] Pregnancy and Parental Leave
[32.] Military Leave
[33.] The Right to Strike
[34.] Public Education for Children
[35.] Equal Pay Acts of 1963 and 2011 (Requires employers pay men and women equally for the same amount of work)
[36.] Laws Ending Sweatshops in the United States
So will conservatives give up all 36 of these union fought rights? Will they stand by their rhetoric that unions are thugs and refuse to take benefits from these "thugs" or will they hypocritically carry on the diatribe that unions are ruining this country while enjoying their weekends and paid vacations?
Or...
Maybe they could just admit that while not perfect, like anything else, unions have done great things for working people that they use and benefit from every day of their lives?
Maybe a conservative union-hating family got to have some of the best moments of their lives while on vacation from work, and they still got to come to a job still there waiting for them, because of unions?
Maybe a conservative can't wait for their lunch break at work so they can turn on the radio and listen to Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Back talk about how horrible unions are?
If you don't want to give up all your union fought rights and benefits at work, I understand. I don't want to either, that's why I'm pro-union and vote Democrat.
But maybe you could just admit that unions are not demons spawned from hell, and admit the FACT that they have improved your life in more ways than one?
Or am I asking too much?
https://la.aflcio.org/gnoaflcio/index.cfm?action=article&articleID=257e8c90-0ac8-43f7-b0c6-dce69756e21c
"Thank a Union: 36 Ways Unions Have Improved Your Life" from the Daily Kos:
May 15, 2012 7:03pm PDT by TheNewDeal00
This is repost of a blog I wrote in winter of last year when the protests against Governor Walker and union busting were gearing up.
Way beyond my wildest expectations, this post actually went viral.
I've decided to post this again here, not to try and prolong the success of it or recycle it, but because I feel it is still very relevant and can't be said enough. Especially with the Wisconsin recall elections less than a month away.
The right has made unions the boogeymen of our time. It is our duty to set the record straight.
Please share this with everyone you know. I don't care about credit. You can put your name on it for all I care. I just want the message out.
Unions are not a bad thing. In fact, we should thank them everyday of our working lives.
God Bless Unions!
Solidarity Forever!
Let's get one thing straight...
...Please see the article above: "Thank a Union: 36 Ways Unions Have Improved Your Life" from the AFL-CIO.
https://m.dailykos.com/stories/2012/5/15/1092027/-Thanks-a-Union-36-Ways-Unions-Have-Improved-Your-Life
This "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" Post No. 083 was edited on December 6th, 2023.
"Prose is using all of the words that are necessary in order to describe all that is necessary to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]
