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A Resolution of the County of Allegheny, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, urging the Pennsylvania General Assembly to enact "Right to Work" legislation in the Commonwealth and to provide for severance arrangements for all Pennsylvanians, in the event that their employer terminates their employment for reasons other than performance.
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WHEREAS, the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation currently indicates that 22 states have passed "Right to Work" statutes; and
WHEREAS, Right to Work statutes are consistent with the terms of the federal Taft-Hartley Act, which outlawed "closed shops," in which union membership was made a condition of hiring a new employee; and
WHEREAS, such statutes also ensure individual employees' right to freedom of association, as guaranteed by the United States Constitution, as well as their ability to choose the manner in which they participate in their working environment; and
WHEREAS, in certain cases mandatory union dues may be used to make significant contributions to support political causes by the unions which receive them, and many union members may oppose this practice or the individual causes; and
WHEREAS, according to the United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, from 1993-2003 the change in real personal income in non-Right to Work states was 26% growth, while the change in Right to Work states was 34% growth; and
WHEREAS, according to the United States Census Bureau, from 1982-2001 Right to Work states experienced 7% growth in number of manufacturing facilities, while non-Right to Work states experienced a 4.9% loss in the same time period; and
WHEREAS, although Pennsylvania law does currently contain some provisions consistent with both the Taft-Hartley Act and some Right to Work statutes, it also permits employers to enter agreements with labor unions to make union membership compulsory for all employees;
The Council of the County of Allegheny hereby resolves as follows:
SECTION 1.
The Council of the County of Allegheny, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, hereby urges the Pennsylvania General Assembly to enact "Right to Work" legislation in the Commonwealth similar to that enacted in Virginia and other states.
SECTION 2.
The Council of the County of Allegheny, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, hereby further urges the Pennsylvania General Assembly to, with all deliberate speed, enact a statutory mandate that all Pennsylvania employers provide for severance arrangements, including temporary health care coverage, for their employees within the Commonwealth, in the event that the employer terminates their employment for reasons other than performance.
SECTION 3.
If any provision of this Resolution shall be determined to be unlawful, invalid, void or unenforceable, then that provision shall be considered severable from the remaining provisions of this Resolution which shall be in full force and effect.
SECTION 4.
Any Resolution or Ordinance or part thereof conflicting with the provisions of this Resolution is hereby repealed so far as the same affects this Resolution.