The New Hampshire House is considering HB 402, another one of former speaker and extremist Tea Bagger, love of Free Staters, Bill O’Brien’s ALEC bills to try and kill collective bargaining in New Hampshire.
Already a “hire at will” state, New Hampshire has always had the unique political independence among its majority Republican leadership to pass on right to work laws. Corporate lobbying of state legislators has reached an all-time high, especially in the forefront of this is the lobbying group ALEC. As explained here which pools corporate funds and acts as a one-stop shop for making sure that legislators act on behalf of corporate interests.
Its important to understand this fact. ALEC has no intention of going away because the corporations that join ALEC have no intention of quitting. They figure, as they’ve always been right before, that people will get worn out and finally give up and go home. They figure no one will show up at hearings, they figure people won’t understand what unions do for workers. Can they get away with this in New Hampshire?
This (last we checked) is the sixth time (yes 6th) that Bill O’Brien has attempted to push this out of state, global corporate agenda on New Hampshire citizens. Representing not New Hampshire, but out of state corporate interests, Bill O’Brien and his less than genius lackeys have proposed this horrible bill once again to try and break labor at its knees. Today many people braved the cold to come to Concord and let their voices be heard. Here we have the testimony of Linda Horan a proud union sister in New Hampshire telling her story that she shared with NH Labor News.
The New Hampshire House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services Committee is having the hearings and will vote on whether or not to recommend this bill as either “ought to pass” or “inexpedient to legislate” . Then it will go to the house for a full vote. Many reps follow the recommendation of the committees.
There is still time to make legislators think twice about passing this horrible legislation, please call or email the members of the committee listed above.
Linda Horan Statement Against Right To Work Legislation (HB402)
Today the NH House Labor Committee is hearing testimony on HB 402, Right To Work legislation. Many people are at the State House testifying for this bill. Linda Horan, a labor activist for many years, sent us her testimony.
Statement in Opposition to HB402
February 17, 2015
Good afternoon. My name is Linda Horan. I live in Alstead. I’m a retired telephone company worker and a proud member of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2320.
During my 32 years as a phone worker, I had health insurance, good wages, a pension, and job security. These weren’t given to me by the company. These were things that I worked with other union members to win. And once we won them, we protected them. We didn’t do this by begging the company as individuals. We did this by working together to accomplish as a group what we couldn’t achieve as individuals. That’s the basic principle of unionism. HB402 attacks that principle.
Today, members of IBEW Local 2320, have been on strike for 124 days. This is a strike about our future and the future of telecommunications in New Hampshire. It’s a strike to defend hard won gains that have created a decent standard of living and job security. FairPoint is demanding the right to contract out every job. If that happens, all that we have worked together to gain could be gone just like that.
Again, phone workers won a decent standard of living and job security by standing together to accomplish together what we could not achieve as individuals. HB402 mocks these accomplishments and seeks to tear them down.
For the rest of Linda’s testimony: Linda Horan Statement Against Right to Work
Progressive Action New Hampshire 