Gov. Tom Corbett
HARRISBURG PA — On the surface, Pennsylvania may look like the next front in an ongoing battle between Republicans and big labor which flared up in Michigan last week as lawmakers there approved so-called “right-to-work” legislation. Don’t expect it to happen here anytime soon, though, The Pennsylvania Independent online news service reported Friday (Dec. 14, 2012).
All is quiet on the labor front in Pennsylvania, at least for right now, The Independent reported, and Gov. Tom Corbett indicated he does not plan on changing that.
Like Michigan – and Indiana and Ohio, where similar battles have occurred — Pennsylvania has a Republican governor and a Republican-controlled Legislature. Like those other states, it has a long history of powerful labor unions.
During an appearance last week on a Philadelphia talk radio show, however, Corbett said Pennsylvania lacks “the will” to pass right-to-work legislation. It was not a top priority for him as the Legislature gears up for a new session in January, he said.
- Read a story by reporter Eric Boehm, titled “Unions have broad appeal in PA, staunching right-to-work efforts” and published Friday by The Independent, here.
When I left the military I worked for GE. Most of GE’s employees were unionized, and as a result the yearly salary changes and benefits were always fair. Even though as an exempt employee I was not in the unions, I benfited as an employee.
A few years later a man who became CEO all but gutted GE’s manufacturing abilities and tens of thousands lost employment. The nation also suffered, as a primary manufacturer ceased and began to export jobs overseas and in essence became a financial house. It sold many businesses, including that in which I was employed. Never again from then on were we treated fairly; as a matter of fact, we essentially were frozen in place salary-wise for a good time.
Unions serve a purpose. Collective bargaining is essential to create an equitable environment were workers truly have a stake in a company and companies recognize and treat workers with respect as a component in their profit-making.
Let’s not change our state’s long legacy of fairness and union representation. Governor is wrong, we have the will to keep things the way we have them. Don’t fix it if it isn’t broke, even if you get big contributions from outsiders to try and influence our state …