The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO

Opinion

Discussion

March 20, 2011

Sunday Forum: Unions have lost touch with workers

By Sarah Steelman The Joplin Globe

JOPLIN, Mo. — Wisconsin’s budget crisis and the militancy of its public unions have brought the issue of organized labor to the forefront of the minds of citizens and policymakers across the country.

In Missouri, Republican leadership in the Senate chose to accelerate growth in our state, as 22 states have done before us, by moving legislation to give employees in Missouri the “right to work.”

In the years since the National Labor Relations Act was passed in 1935, our country and our economy have changed, but our labor laws have not kept pace.

During this time, union bosses in forced-unionization states like Missouri have become politically entrenched and have lost touch with the needs and the politics of rank-and-file members. Because the union bosses and not workers are in control, union demands of employers often result in a strained relationship between employers and employees. This creates stress for employees and discourages employers from creating new jobs and investing in Missouri’s economy. Our state and our workers suffer not because of the existence of unions, but because forced unionism gives unbridled power to union bosses, and takes away the choices, and freedom of the workers.

Forced unionization of workers also results in companies building their new factories (that Missouri badly needs and wants) in right-to-work states like Tennessee, Kansas or Oklahoma. We know, beyond any doubt that the global economy will not tolerate our outdated labor policies. We risk being left behind in a global economy that American workers have labored hard to create the greatest economy this world has ever known. We owe it to them to put sound policy ahead of politics. The time is upon us to embrace legislation that will open Missouri to economic development by proving we have the will to create the business climate and opportunities that our capable workers need to raise and support their children. While it is a fact that we need the family-supporting jobs that these companies will create, it is also true that these companies would benefit greatly from Missouri’s hard-working employees.

For an example of how forced unionization hurts our state, all we have to do is look just across the border at Kansas.

The statistics are clear: Kansas is winning the battle of economic opportunity. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates Kansas is not only increasing its employment numbers, but it is adding higher-paying jobs at a faster rate as well.

From the years 1990 to 2007, Kansas’ total employment grew 46.9 percent and private employment grew 51.9 percent.

Over the same period, Missouri’s total employment grew only 12.6 percent while private employment increased 10.8 percent. Mean weekly wages tell a similar story: In 1990, both states had a nominal weekly wage of $434. In 2007, the nominal weekly wage in Kansas was $860 and in Missouri it was $817. Right-to-work legislation has helped Kansas attract jobs and grow wages, while our state has stagnated. It is clear that Missouri has to change the way our state does business. We should start by adopting right-to-work.

Let’s put workers back in charge of their unions. Freedom always works better than coercion. A free labor market is more efficient, more dynamic and more fair. Our economy will be more productive, and increased productivity creates more opportunity, more jobs and more wealth for everyone. Missourians need jobs now — our employers and workers can no longer afford to wait.



Sarah Steelman is the former Missouri state treasurer, economist and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate.

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