Right-to-Work Fails in New Hampshire
Just moments ago, the New Hampshire House attempted to override Gov. Lynch’s veto on Right-to-Work. Unfortunately, the veto override failed 240-139, a mere 14 votes shy of the needed two-thirds.
However, Maine should still be wary of our neighbor. The supermajority vote in the Senate and near-supermajority vote in House shows that there is very strong support in New Hampshire for Right-to-Work. They are only one supporting Governor away from enacting Right-to-Work which could happen as early as 2013 (New Hampshire’s Governor is on a two-year term and Gov. Lynch has announced he will not run again).
Another thing Mainers should also worry about are the actions of the anti-Right-to-Work forces who stopped at nothing to get their way. Consider these shenangans as reported by New Hampshire Speaker O’Brien:
That’s why I have become seriously concerned about the coercion, threats and outright intimidation specific to the Right to Work issue that we have learned some of our colleagues have suffered. Here are several examples, some of which have just come to me today:
• One older representative was told that public emergency personnel might not respond in a timely fashion if they learned of a problem at this representative’s home after a vote to support Right to Work.
• Another representative’s daughter attending a public school was told that she would not be an appropriate candidate for a captain of her basketball team should her parent vote in support of Right to Work.
• Yet another representative who has been supporting the veto override was first told by his public employer he had to work tomorrow. Then he was unexpectedly called in by the head of the employing agency and told that he would be allowed to go to Concord to vote, but that, given the presence of the two unions that had members at the agency, he really needs to vote against Right to Work.
• A representative’s spouse was threatened on the job based upon a vote for Right to Work, leaving that spouse with the impression that he might lose his job or suffer worse consequences if that vote was not for the union bosses.
• A representative’s spouse was told in a telephone call from a senior union official that their pension could be in jeopardy if this representative voted in favor of Right to Work.
These are examples that go beyond the pale, yet do not include the numerous other instances in which union bosses have subtly implied veiled threats against representatives on this issue.
How many more instances of intimidation went unreported? These tactics simply do not belong in America.