Tea Party Favorite Sets His Sights on Our Rights

by Erick Sanchez and Chris Fleming  |  February 13, 2013

Sen. Rand Paul (R- Ky.)

Sen. Rand Paul (R- Ky.), who last night delivered the tea party’s response to Pres. Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, recently introduced an egregious piece of legislation aimed directly at the heart of the middle class: the “National Right to Work Act.”

Senate Bill 204 values corporate interests ahead of working families by promoting a damaging union-busting scheme known as “right-to-work.” Such legislation severely undermines the rights of workers and their ability to bargain for fair wages, modest benefits, and safe staffing levels, and it silences the rights of workers with their employer.

Instead of working towards creating jobs and expanding access to vital services like Medicare and Social Security, Paul’s Senate Bill 204 puts the middle class in his crosshairs. 

So-called right-to-work laws are part of a partisan agenda, backed by big-money, right-wing political donors, to reduce the wages and benefits of hardworking teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other public employees who perform vital services in our communities. These laws reduce all workers’ paychecks – not just union members’ –  by an average $1,500 per year.

If passed, Paul’s legislation, would provide, as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., once said, “no rights and no work.” 

We are currently fighting back against “right-to-work-for-less” efforts in Michigan and a number of other states. Learn more about AFSCME’s fight for workers’ rights.