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GOP goes after right-to-work opponents
CONCORD — Forces pushing for a right-to-work law in New Hampshire said Tuesday they are already working to overturn the veto Gov. John Lynch is expected to sign today.
The Senate passed the bill, HB 474, by a veto-proof two-thirds majority. The House fell short by between 15 and 20 votes of the two-thirds margin needed to override a veto. Among those voting against the bill were 47 Republicans. Another 22 in the GOP did not vote at all.
The bill would bar collective bargaining agreements that require non-members to make partial dues payments to a union that represents them. Employers could be fined for deducting such payments, which are meant to cover costs of bargaining and administering a contract.
Right-to-work supporters say if the bill passes, the state will be seen as more business friendly, and workers will no longer have to put money into unions against their will.
Unions see the bill as a move funded by out-of-state interests to undercut their role in the workplace. They argue that the measure intrudes in labor-management relations.
Jennifer Horn, a former candidate for Congress who formed the non-profit We The People lobbying group, said Tuesday right-to-work advocates are pushing Republican opponents in the House to change their votes.
“We know who we have, we know who we don’t have and we know who we have to work on,” Horn told reporters Tuesday.
Speaker of the House William O’Brien said he and his GOP leadership team are pushing wayward Republicans to come over to their side.
“They are starting to come around to understanding why they need to support the Republican caucus,” O’Brien said.
In the past, lawmakers have taken up multiple vetoes on a single day in early fall. In a break from that tradition, O’Brien will bring right-to-work up for an override vote on May 25, two weeks after Lynch signs his veto.
“This governor’s vetoes are going to be sent right back to him,” O’Brien said. Republicans “are united in not allowing the governor to believe he can function as a third branch of the Legislature,” he said.
Senate information officer Carole Alfano said there are no plans now to take up the veto on the date O’Brien set.
“That’s a House date, and the Senate will wait,” she said. “The Senate position is to first wait for the governor to act, and then to see what the House does.”
Kevin Smith, executive director of Cornerstone Action, said his group is also pressuring lawmakers.
“We’ve been calling legislators non-stop letting them know this bill would give New Hampshire a much-needed competitive advantage,” he said.
Proponents of the bill say it will give New Hampshire a big advantage in trying to attract new companies and jobs. The state would be the 23rd to adopt the legislation, and would be the only one in the Northeast.
John Kalb, lobbyist for New England Citizens for Right to Work, said that with New Hampshire already the only state in the region with no income tax, right-to-work “would really supercharge the New Hampshire advantage.”
Opponents of the bill question whether the state would see any growth, since other factors rank higher as important to business location decisions. They question the kind of jobs that might be created based on a right-to-work law.
“What is the quality of the jobs they’re growing?” State Employees Association spokesman Michael Barwell asked. “Pay is lower, benefits are less and job security is weakened.”
Unions also pointed to last week’s University of New Hampshire Granite State Poll findings that 60 percent of respondents support unions’ rights to organize and engage in collective bargaining.
The Senate passed the bill, HB 474, by a veto-proof two-thirds majority. The House fell short by between 15 and 20 votes of the two-thirds margin needed to override a veto. Among those voting against the bill were 47 Republicans. Another 22 in the GOP did not vote at all.
The bill would bar collective bargaining agreements that require non-members to make partial dues payments to a union that represents them. Employers could be fined for deducting such payments, which are meant to cover costs of bargaining and administering a contract.
Right-to-work supporters say if the bill passes, the state will be seen as more business friendly, and workers will no longer have to put money into unions against their will.
Unions see the bill as a move funded by out-of-state interests to undercut their role in the workplace. They argue that the measure intrudes in labor-management relations.
Jennifer Horn, a former candidate for Congress who formed the non-profit We The People lobbying group, said Tuesday right-to-work advocates are pushing Republican opponents in the House to change their votes.
“We know who we have, we know who we don’t have and we know who we have to work on,” Horn told reporters Tuesday.
Speaker of the House William O’Brien said he and his GOP leadership team are pushing wayward Republicans to come over to their side.
“They are starting to come around to understanding why they need to support the Republican caucus,” O’Brien said.
In the past, lawmakers have taken up multiple vetoes on a single day in early fall. In a break from that tradition, O’Brien will bring right-to-work up for an override vote on May 25, two weeks after Lynch signs his veto.
“This governor’s vetoes are going to be sent right back to him,” O’Brien said. Republicans “are united in not allowing the governor to believe he can function as a third branch of the Legislature,” he said.
Senate information officer Carole Alfano said there are no plans now to take up the veto on the date O’Brien set.
“That’s a House date, and the Senate will wait,” she said. “The Senate position is to first wait for the governor to act, and then to see what the House does.”
Kevin Smith, executive director of Cornerstone Action, said his group is also pressuring lawmakers.
“We’ve been calling legislators non-stop letting them know this bill would give New Hampshire a much-needed competitive advantage,” he said.
Proponents of the bill say it will give New Hampshire a big advantage in trying to attract new companies and jobs. The state would be the 23rd to adopt the legislation, and would be the only one in the Northeast.
John Kalb, lobbyist for New England Citizens for Right to Work, said that with New Hampshire already the only state in the region with no income tax, right-to-work “would really supercharge the New Hampshire advantage.”
Opponents of the bill question whether the state would see any growth, since other factors rank higher as important to business location decisions. They question the kind of jobs that might be created based on a right-to-work law.
“What is the quality of the jobs they’re growing?” State Employees Association spokesman Michael Barwell asked. “Pay is lower, benefits are less and job security is weakened.”
Unions also pointed to last week’s University of New Hampshire Granite State Poll findings that 60 percent of respondents support unions’ rights to organize and engage in collective bargaining.