THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	154
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

urging Hawaii's congressional delegation to oppose any proposed federal right-to-work legislation.

WHEREAS, on February 1, 2017, Representative Steve King and Representative Joe Wilson introduced federal legislation to enact a national right-to-work law that would amend the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 and Railway Labor Act of 1926 to bar the inclusion of union security clauses in collective bargaining agreements; and

WHEREAS, pursuant to United States labor laws, a union represents all of the employees in a certain workplace or employment area for which the union serves as a collective bargaining unit; and

WHEREAS, barring union security clauses from collective bargaining agreements undermines union membership and labor organizing nationwide by allowing workers to enjoy the benefits of representation without contributing the cost of collective bargaining; and

WHEREAS, right-to-work legislation limits the ability of workers in private and public sectors to successfully advocate for fair wages, benefits, and working conditions; and

WHEREAS, right-to-work legislation further undermines labor organizing efforts, which have advanced civil rights, women's rights, and economic justice; and

WHEREAS, a study published by the Economic Policy Institute on the income gap between right-to-work states and states that honor union security agreements concluded that wages are sixteen percent lower in right-to-work states; and

WHEREAS, according to the Henry J. Foundation, individuals under the age of sixty-five in right-to-work states are thirty-eight percent more likely to be uninsured; and

WHEREAS, according to the United States Census Bureau, overall poverty and child poverty rates are higher in states with right-to-work legislation; and

WHEREAS, according to the National Education Association, states with right-to-work legislation spend 32.5 percent less on elementary and secondary education per student compared to states that do not have such legislation; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, the House of Representatives concurring, that Hawaii's congressional delegation is urged to oppose any proposed federal right-to-work legislation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States; members of the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; members of the United States House Committee on Education and the Workforce; members of Hawaii's congressional delegation; and Governor of the State of Hawaii.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Right-to-Work; Federal Legislation