ALEC RTW Bills Gaining Momentum
This week, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signed an anti-union right-to-work (RTW) bill into law. RTW laws require unions to provide the same representation and workplace services to all workers in a workplace but make contributing to the cost of that representation optional. They lead to smaller, weaker unions and lower worker wages and benefits.
According to Truth-Out.org, the Center for Media and Democracy detailed the fact that the Wisconsin bill was taken almost word for word from the American Legislative Exchange Council “model” bill.
The site reports that, thanks to major funding by the billionaire Koch brothers and the Milwaukee-based Bradley Foundation, the push for RTW continues in multiple states in a variety of forms. From a legally dubious executive order in Illinois to an equally suspect county-level strategy in Kentucky, ALEC’s effort to disable unions as an organized voice for working families marches on.