Baumgartner Wants Washington to Be Right-To-Work State
Lots of luck with that Bum-gartner.
In the wake of last night’s resounding rejection by the Boeing machinists union of a contract that would have ensured that the new 777X jet is built in Washington – and also greatly weakened pensions – state Sen. Mike Baumgartner, R-Spokane, has an idea. And it’s not necessarily a new one for him.
Baumgartner wants Washington – the fourth most unionized state in the nation – to become a right-to-work state. The Republican from Spokane wants Gov. Jay Inslee to call (yet another) special session so lawmakers can cast votes to make it so. He says the proposal is all about “our economy and personal freedom.”
“These are great jobs that impact our entire economy. Last night’s vote was about … every person in our state,” says Baumgartner, indicating that “the time has come” for Washington to become a right-to-work state.
-snip-
Baumgartner, however, is emphatic that he doesn’t see his proposal as one “aimed at weakening unions.”
“The fact of the matter is you have to deal with reality,” Baumgartner says. “[Right-to-work states] are where the jobs are going to go. … I think we should be in special session tomorrow to send this message” to Boeing and other large companies that might set up shop in Washington.
It’s not a new sentiment for the Baumgartner. In May he introduced a bill in Olympia that would have made Washington a right-to-work state, but it gained little-to-no traction.
-snip-
While there’s no doubt that the well-compensated folks in charge at Boeing would surely love a weakened union in Washington, it seems highly unlike that Baumgartner’s renewed push will gain steam here. “If you want to lower the living standard of working people in this state, that’s one way to do it,” state Rep. Mike Sells, the Democratic chairman of the House Labor and Workforce Development Committee, told the Business Journal in July.
-snip-
According to the Spokesman-Review, Gov. Jay Inslee’s office says a special session to take up Baumgarten’s right-to-work push is “not going to happen.”
“If it can happen in Michigan, it can happen in Washington state,” says a defiant Baumgarten, indicating that people “like their freedom in Washington.”
http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/thedailyweekly/949849-129/washington-state-baumgartner-says-union-unions
= new reply since forum marked as read
That way, not only can Boeing screw their workers, but so can every other employer in the state!
Yay.
