News Release

February 15, 2007

     The public airwaves and print media are spotlighting an important issue that has surfaced since the legislative session began on January 8^th. The issue has been given the moniker of “Fair Share”, a proposal that would force non-union employees who work in a business that has a union to pay an amount either “equal to” or very close to the amount collected as dues from union members. House File 324 completely overturns Iowa’s 60-year old Right-to-Work status by requiring non-union members of public employers and private employers to pay a “fair share” fee to the union.  The so-called “fair share” fee can be as much as the full amount of union dues. This alleged “fair share” fee forces non-union members to pay for the “representation” they get at the bargaining table by the collective bargaining unit.  House File 324 violates the principle of Iowa’s right-to-work statutes (Code section 20.8 for public employees and section 731.4 for private employees) and rewrites the statutes to allow the opposite of current law.

     This issue is not about the rights and freedom of union members in the work place, rather it is about the rights and freedom of non-union employees who have chosen not to join the union because of strong disagreement with stands taken by unions on political and social issues. A collection of union dues from non-union workers would be an abridgement of  those workers’ rights and freedoms. Iowa has guaranteed workers the right to choose whether or not they want to join a union in the workplace. This is called Iowa’s “Right to Work” law. Iowa is one of 22 states that has a “Right to Work” law. The passage of a “Fair Share” bill would repeal Iowa’s “Right to Work” law.

     Who would be impacted by a repeal of Iowa’s “Right to Work” law? There are nearly 39,000 Iowans who have exercised their right in Iowa not to join a union, where a repeal of “Right to Work” would then force them to pay union dues. 28,000 of these employees are in the “public” sector, folks like teachers, police officers and firemen. 11,000 are employed in private business. Since union dues in Iowa average around $500 annually, these 39,000 employees represent approximately $19 million in a new funding stream for unions (Information from unionstats.com).

     Furthermore a repeal of Iowa’s “Right to Work” law would have a very  chilling effect on future business growth and development in the state. Consider these differences in economic vitality between right to work states and non right to work states (figures come from the US Departments of Labor and Commerce). The rate of job growth in right to work states from 1994 through 2004 was 65% faster than non right to work states. The growth of private sector non-farm employment from 1995 through 2005 was 20.2% in right to work states and 11.3% in non right to work states. The percentage growth in manufacturing businesses from 1982 through 2004 was 4.5% in right to work states and -9.3% in non right to work states.

     Forcing non union workers to pay union dues is not fair. Iowa’s Right to Work law has served Iowa well these past sixty years and is vitally important to our state’s future. I will oppose any attempt to repeal Iowa’s Right to Work law.

     My contact information during session is (515) 281-3221 or rod.roberts@legis.state.ia.us.