New laws are anti-worker

Facts support Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes’ recent review of the new Republican majority in the General Assembly, especially the right to work (for less) law. Simply put, it allows workers to opt out of paying dues or fees, while still keeping their benefits from collective bargaining. It is unfair to expect unions to face shrinking revenue from members, while requiring them to spend funds on grievance time, computers, etc. This law, which was a high priority for this governor and both houses, is nothing more than a thinly veiled attack to cripple unions, to silence workers’ last voices for safety, health benefits, pensions and working conditions.

Unions built the American middle class, and their members pay taxes that fund government services, schools and libraries. It is readily verifiable that states with so-called right-to-work laws have lower wages, incomes and health insurance coverage, and higher rates of poverty and workplace fatalities.

Repealing the prevailing wage law essentially cut Kentucky construction workers’ wages on public construction projects in half.

Kentucky is facing a budget shortfall, and now there is even less revenue flowing into Frankfort.

This story was originally published June 2, 2017 at 5:35 PM with the headline "New laws are anti-worker."