New Hampshire lawmakers who stood firmly behind a now-failed 'Right to Work' legislative initiative may have earned themselves some motivated and permanent political foes from the Granite State's organized labor unions.
Despite a Republican majority of 212-186 in the NH House, SB61 - the latest in a long and failed succession of RTW bids in New Hampshire - was defeated by a vote of 199-175 on June 3. After approximately 40 attempts to pass Right to Work going back decades in New Hampshire, it may now actually be dead and buried for some time. A follow-up vote by House members to 'indefintely postpone' SB61 passed 196-178. The GOP-controlled NH Senate had narrowly approved the RTW legislation earlier this year by a vote of 13-11.
Enough Republican House members broke with the majority to earn the thanks and acknowledgement from labor organizations across almost every trade and worker category in New Hampshire. But the 175 yes voters in the House for SB61 - which sought to essentially ban collective bargaining agreements that require employees to join a union - have likely become political targets in the next election cycle.
"The more than 4,700 members of Teamsters Local 633 are grateful to New Hampshire legislators on both sides of the aisle who stood up for working families and protected the New Hampshire advantage," said Jeff Padellaro, Principal Officer/Secretary Treasurer for Teamsters Local 633, which is headquartered in Manchester, NH. "And for those legislators who voted against working families and instead stood with out of state corporations and took their money, we are committed to holding them accountable at the ballot box.”
The Teamsters joined other labor organizations - including the AFL-CIO, New Hampshire Federation of Teachers, and others - in waging high-visibility worker campaigns with signage deployed statewide and using digital campaign ads, local TV and online video and other messaging to oppose SB61.
Observers had suggested this year's RTW effort - despite 39 previous failures - was the best chance in years for RTW advocates (led by well-funded out-of-state corporate backers) to gain victory.
The conservative New Hampshire Journal declared that RTW had momentum heading into the House debate. Out of state backers and financiers of RTW - Americans for Prosperity and the National Right to Work Legal Defense Fund - argued forcefully that passage of SB61 would enhance New Hampshire's aleady recognized competitive advantage. And the influential Wall Street Journal editorial board - the day before the June 3 vote - called on New Hampshire to finally pass Right to Work.
"This legislation will attract new companies to our state, empower workers to hold unions accountable, and it will help spur economic development and create more good jobs," said Sen. Bill Gannon (R-Sandtown), a sponsor of the bill, SB 61, in an op-ed published by the Portsmouth Herald and Seacoast Onlline "The fact is that right to work states are currently outperforming New Hampshire in job growth, consistently more than doubling the Granite State."
Now union leaders are eyeing the 2022 NH House and Senate elections as an opportunity to target political weakness among GOP members who supported RTW.
"These anti-working family and anti-union legislators did exactly what we expected by trying to continue their attack on working families," said Kevin Foley, President and political coordinator for Teamsters Local 633, in a statement to the Teamsters newsletter. "If there is one thing we have become accustomed to, unfortunately, it is this administration won’t ever do the right thing for New Hampshire’s working families."
Right to Work legislation threatens to drain union coffers by forcing them to represent bargaining unit members not paying so-called fair-share fees. That would likely reduce funding for other union functions such as organizing and negotiating contracts. As part of the vote, the Legislature cannot consider RTW again for another two years unless it gets two-thirds of lawmakers to agree to alter the rules.
“These bills are nothing more than out of state, corporate interests looking to take advantage of our lawmakers, our businesses, and our workers,” said AFL-CIO New Hampshire president Glenn Bracket, in a statement quoted by InDepthNH.org. “They deprive workers of their freedom to join together and form strong unions if they choose to. And they have no business being a part of how we do things here in New Hampshire.”