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Romney Campaign Press Release - Mitt Romney's Plan to Stand Up for Workers, Not Union Bosses

February 15, 2012

Romney Presents A Labor Policy For Economic Growth

Today in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Mitt Romney criticized Big Labor for stifling economic growth and job creation. Once upon a time, labor unions fought to secure important protections for American workers and help our economy grow. Unfortunately, today they too often stand as obstacles to growth and fight against the workers they are supposed to serve.

Romney pointed to policies like Card Check, which would give more power to unions at the expense of workers, as examples of a broken system in need of reform. America must guarantee every worker the absolute right to vote on unionization by secret ballot, after having adequate time to learn about the pros and cons of a union and make an informed decision. We must also have Right-to-Work laws that give workers a choice in whether to support a union, and we need to protect worker paychecks from automatic deductions that unions spend on political causes.

President Obama has been an active supporter of Card Check, and pursued a pro-union agenda that has advanced Big Labor's interests at the expense of the economic recovery. Labor unions spent hundreds of millions of dollars to elect President Obama, and he has been paying them back ever since. The result has been to raise the cost of hiring workers, create enormous uncertainty for job creators, and reduce the job prospects for those in need of work. It was exactly the opposite of the course a pro-growth president would take.

Romney reiterated his detailed agenda for reducing the power of union bosses and returning it to the businesses and workers who will lead the economic recovery:

Require Secret Ballots

Provide each worker the same democratic protections provided to all Americans:

  • Require all union elections to use the secret ballot
  • Allow at least 30 days prior to an election for workers to learn about the pros and cons of unionization

Protect Paychecks

Support workers in their political activities, but ensure that all donations to the union are freely and fairly given:

  • Prohibit unions from using dues automatically deducted from paychecks for political purposes

Guarantee The Right To Work

Ensure that no worker is required to pay dues to a union he or she does not support:

  • Use the bully pulpit of the presidency to support states in pursuing Right-to-Work laws
  • Include the right to work in federal labor law, so that all workers have their rights protected

End Favoritism In Government Contracts

Put a stop to practices that give unions special advantages in pursuing government contracts:

  • Reverse President Obama's Executive Order requiring agencies to use union labor on large projects
  • Repeal Davis-Bacon so that government projects can be competitively bid out to all contractors

Uphold The Rule Of Law

Obey the law and ensure that appointees will enforce the law instead of rewriting it:

  • Appoint experienced, even-handed arbiters to the National Labor Relations Board
  • Oppose bailouts offering special treatment to unions partially responsible for bankrupting companies

Mitt Romney, Romney Campaign Press Release - Mitt Romney's Plan to Stand Up for Workers, Not Union Bosses Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/299887

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