TORONTO

North America’s largest construction union is battling the “right-to-work” proposals of Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak.

LiUNA, Local 183 released a new report by economist John O’Grady Tuesday — The Reality of Right to Work: Putting Middle Class Out of Reach — that says Conservative labour policies would drive down union membership and lead to lower wages.

“The proposals that are in the Conservative Party platform are actually more regressive even than the labour legislation you would find in states like Alabama or Mississippi, which are poster boys for so-called right-to-work legislation,” O’Grady said.

He disputes a Fraser Institute report that says right-to-work legislation would create 59,000 jobs in Ontario, arguing that hasn’t been the case in Oklahoma.

The Ontario PCs have released a number of discussion white papers in advance of their next election platform document.

The labour paper recommends an end to mandatory union membership and dues.

PC MPP Monte McNaughton said workers shouldn’t be forced to join a union in order to get a job.

A Tory government would restore the secret ballot to certification and would ensure that unions provide full transparency for how dues are spent, he said.

“Union bosses are going to be mad at this because it’s going to give workers more control over their careers and it will provide more accountability within unions,” McNaughton said.

Workers at some unions were surprised to find their dues were being used to support anti-Israel campaigns or fund G20 and Quebec student protesters, he said.

McNaughton said Ontario is last in wage growth in Canada today, and the middle class is disappearing under existing provincial government policies.

“Jurisdictions that have modernized their labour policies are creating manufacturing jobs in Michigan, Indiana and Texas,” he said.

O’Grady’s report says workers in right-to-work U.S. states have seen their wages, pensions and benefits shrink — something he predicts will happen in Ontario if similar legislation is passed.