By Corey Hill

State Sen. Carl Ford and U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx recently published a column in the Post titled “Union coercion threatens hardworking North Carolinians.” Over the years, with Sen. Ford and Rep. Foxx being my representatives, we have had many conversations about workers’ rights. Once again, I don’t agree with their opinion on the Protecting the Right to Organize Act.

The truth is many workers don’t feel that the company they work for has their best interests at heart. They feel like more of a number than a person. They see wages, pensions and good health care disappear for the ones making the product. While union membership has dwindled and policy makers have failed to pass pro-worker labor laws, inequality has skyrocketed. That’s why six in 10 workers say they would join a union today if given a fair chance.

Between 1948 and 1973, when unions were at their strongest, hourly wages rose by more than 90%. But over the next 40 years, hourly wages rose by just over 9% while productivity increased 74%. Workers aren’t getting paid fairly for what they produce. Unions are trying to change that. The “mass exodus of workers from unions” cannot be separated from the National Labor Relations Act amendments making it more difficult for workers to form unions, something the Protecting the Right to Organize Act will fix.

The act will not force anyone to join a union. It only requires the payment of fair share fees, which cover the cost of negotiating and enforcing union contracts that benefit everyone. Workers could choose to just pay the fee without being active members. Is that so wrong? Imagine that you’re going out to eat with friends, but only half of the group pays for everyone to eat. Pretty soon, you won’t be going out together at all. We wouldn’t accept people not paying for their share of the food; why is it any different for union benefits?

Workers don’t have to work in a unionized facility, but they still choose to — probably for the union contract’s benefits that others fought and help pay for. Unions fight to secure higher wages, better benefits and job protections that raise the bar for all workers, especially those covered by the contract. Without a union contract, employers are much less likely to provide those things to their employees. The rewards for having a contract are priceless compared to the costs.

So why do our elected officials want to enshrine “right to work” in our state Constitution when it leads to lower wages, fewer benefits and more dangerous workplaces? What about Sen. Ford’s and Rep. Foxx’s constituents who want unions? They talk about standing up for workers, but they oppose protecting our right to organize from employer retaliation. With N.C. only being 3% unionized, what are they so afraid of? Maybe they are speaking on behalf of their political contributors? We like the social make-up around right-to-work laws 

If they really want to help, they could do better than protecting a law that weakens unions of working people instead of protecting the workers themselves. If their real hearts are for the working class, then they should introduce bills to raise minimum wage and improve our unemployment system by reversing the cruel cuts they made 10 years ago. They should work on guaranteed paid rest breaks and paid sick, parental and medical leave for all employees. 

Sen. Ford and Rep. Foxx are right about one thing: it’s time that our elected officials start delivering for working people. We can’t wait forever for them to start working on better labor laws for all N.C. workers, something they haven’t done in the past. We need the Protecting the Right to Organize Act now!

Protecting the right to organize is necessary to start solving the problems that make unions necessary in the first place. Rather than enshrining anti-union laws in our constitution, we need to secure our right to have good, safe jobs that pay fair wages and the freedom to form and join unions to make it happen.

Corey Hill is president of UAW Local 3520, the union representing workers at the Daimler Trucks plant in Cleveland.