Lawmaker pushes bill to end mandatory union dues

HARRISBURG -- Rep. Daryl Metcalfe says he's counting on a swell of grassroots support to help push his package of right-to-work bills higher on the Legislature's lengthy to-do list.

Mr. Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, and several of his conservative House colleagues re-introduced four measures this morning that would end mandatory union membership for employees of the state's schools, government and businesses.

Requiring an employee to join a union and pay dues to an organization that may advocate views they disagree with is unfair, Mr. Metcalfe said. Currently, local and state employees as well as public school employees can be required to pay dues, regardless of whether they are union members.

"We want to bring that tyranny of law to an end," he said.

Such measures have been introduced in many of the past legislative sessions and have failed to gain approval. Union leaders oppose the legislation, arguing that it would weaken their ability to negotiate fair wages for their members.

Supporters counter that such a change would help keep jobs from moving out of state and would allow employees to choose how they are represented at work.

Gov. Tom Corbett has said he would sign a right-to-work bill, but his spokesman has said they believe such a measure is unlikely to reach the governor's desk.

Mr. Metcalfe said he believes the bills could become a priority if state taxpayers "demand from their elected officials responsible representation, and to end the time when the unions are just pushing big dollars into campaign war chests that are ultimately purchasing those votes that so many have given to protect the unions in this state."

First published on April 5, 2011 at 11:37 am