What does "right to work state" mean? (day care, school district)

[jody_wy]

Brother works at a non-union mine in a Union shop state , few there always trying to get a vote to unionize, but the mines push it back because they are paid as good or better(keep dues in thier own pocket) then the union mines in this state.

[WyoNewk]

At one time some of the mines here had unions. Some probably still do; I don't know. But UMW was pushing hard to get established in the mid-to-late 70s when all the mines in Campbell County were getting rolling (maybe '76). I remember when AMAX's Belle Ayr Mine workers went on strike. It got a little nasty. That's when the guard shacks were established and things were just never quite the same after that. In the early 80s one of the mines near Sheridan (Decker?) had a long, hard strike. IIRC there were even a few bullets flying -- just enough to make the news.

[jody_wy]

Originally Posted by WyoNewk

At one time some of the mines here had unions. Some probably still do; I don't know. But UMW was pushing hard to get established in the mid-to-late 70s when all the mines in Campbell County were getting rolling (maybe '76). I remember when AMAX's Belle Ayr Mine workers went on strike. It got a little nasty. That's when the guard shacks were established and things were just never quite the same after that. In the early 80s one of the mines near Sheridan (Decker?) had a long, hard strike. IIRC there were even a few bullets flying -- just enough to make the news.

think the mine in Kemmerer is union

[YOU-CANT-EAT-SCENERY]

When I worked for a newspaper some of the guys threatened to unionize but it never happened. The company basically said that they would negotiate in "Good Faith" which is required by law, but nothing ever said that they would agree to anything. So basically everything we had would have stayed frozen where it was at, for who knows how long, and then if they did agree on something we might have ended up with less than we had.

[SolidarityFirst]

I used to dislike the Union I was in (CWA) for a lot of the reasons mentioned in these comments but looking back after 40 years of mostly Union work it's clear to me the problems mostly resided in a bitchy apathetic membership who never had the guts to elect the right Union leadership but loved to complain. Hell no one would show up for the meetings so the Local Union would end up being run by the laziest **** heads. Although at the National level the Union saved our jobs when the all powerful AT&T stopped our work on purpose and started to lay people off who were reaching the threshold of a vested pension. The Union was able to prove it was a company plot to rid themselves of older workers who were about to cost the company a lot of money and the courts put a stop to it with huge fines. So for all you anti-union [Mod cut] who think by being "employee of the month" you will be treated fairly by the company I say wise-up read your History and join a Union.

[eric#1]

Hmm, SD is a right to work state, but there are rules that are extremely wise to follow when firing someone to make sure it don't turn around and bite you. When operating in management roles in the past my HR heads had very specific protocol when letting someone go that they required one to follow in order to lower the risk lawsuit/equal opportunity violations etc.

[bustaduke]

Originally Posted by stgray02

right to work doesn't necessarily mean you have to join a union. what it really means is taking away workers rights. An employer can fire you for ANY and I mean ANY reason what so ever! Employers doesn't want unions because the worker will then have someone to protect their rights. In a right to work state, you won't get laid off, you will get fired so that you can't get unemployment. The employer doesn't have to have a reason to fire you. You will always have lower wages and poor working conditions in a right to work state. It's not about unions, It's about LOWER WAGES and NO RIGHTS for WORKERS!

This is total BS. I was a business owner for years in a right to work state and have been an employee for several years in the same state and this couldn't be further from the truth.

Fact of the matter is if you deserve to get fired you will but in a right to work state they still have to lay you off and you will still collect unemployment.

And as far as lower wages.Try the unions here and you will get $5 to $10 less per hour than what most people pay in my line of work. And don't forget about the union thugs who take money from your pay every week and spend it on booze and women.

[ElkHunter]

Originally Posted by bustaduke

This is total BS. I was a business owner for years in a right to work state and have been an employee for several years in the same state and this couldn't be further from the truth.

Fact of the matter is if you deserve to get fired you will but in a right to work state they still have to lay you off and you will still collect unemployment.

And as far as lower wages.Try the unions here and you will get $5 to $10 less per hour than what most people pay in my line of work. And don't forget about the union thugs who take money from your pay every week and spend it on booze and women.

Maybe in your state and the way "right to work" is set up.

A couple years ago, the local Sawmill layed off 25% of their employees. My neighbor was one of them with 20+ years. Another guy who lived in the neighbor hood had worked for the Sawmill for only 6 months and he got to stay. Right to work? Rights? They do not go hand in hand.

I've noticed that the State of Wyoming, the City of Sheridan, seem to hire a lot of out of state companies to come in and do what can be done by locals. Those are union teams and they bring their entire crew here to do the work. A crew of 30 and they might hire 1 or 2 locals to do grunt work. They hire them under Wyoming Law and there for, are not Union. Now compare their wages with the guy standing next to him and it's not even close.

I worked Wyoming and was in UMW working the coal mines. Pretty darn good benefits and it wasn't that expensive. But that was back when the Union was taking care of safety and equipment problems and not so much trying to get another .5% on Dental coverage.

[wyolady]

Originally Posted by ElkHunter

Maybe in your state and the way "right to work" is set up.

A couple years ago, the local Sawmill layed off 25% of their employees. My neighbor was one of them with 20+ years. Another guy who lived in the neighbor hood had worked for the Sawmill for only 6 months and he got to stay. Right to work? Rights? They do not go hand in hand.

I've noticed that the State of Wyoming, the City of Sheridan, seem to hire a lot of out of state companies to come in and do what can be done by locals. Those are union teams and they bring their entire crew here to do the work. A crew of 30 and they might hire 1 or 2 locals to do grunt work. They hire them under Wyoming Law and there for, are not Union. Now compare their wages with the guy standing next to him and it's not even close.

I worked Wyoming and was in UMW working the coal mines. Pretty darn good benefits and it wasn't that expensive. But that was back when the Union was taking care of safety and equipment problems and not so much trying to get another .5% on Dental coverage.

Pretty accurate, ElkHunter. I know MANY people who have been fired without cause so supervisor could hire relative. They give no reason and years and years of seniority are ignored.

My hubby worked for years on RR in Union. Many of those jobs are now sub-contracted to nonunion companies. Wages are less than 1/2 what hubby made.

No opinion here about unions.....just facts as I've experienced them.

[rya700]

My dad worked for (what used to be) Pacificorp. He complained about the union dues....until they represented him in a labor dispute.