A battle is brewing in the blue-collar state of West Virginia over right-to-work legislation.
States that have right-to-work legislation in place prevent strong-arm tactics by unions to force employees to also be members of a union.
For decades, unions such as the Teamsters have forced participation in their organizations by using the force of law to pull union dues from the pockets of hard-working Americans.
Teamsters disagree with that viewpoint with reasoning such as this:
“For years, out-of-state corporate interests have made billions on the backs of hardworking West Virginia families. Now, they’re attacking the one thing that has protected us—our union contract,” said Hall, who also serves as president of Teamsters Local 175 in South Charleston, W.Va.
The reality is union leaders are laughing all the way to the bank by using the government to prop up their dues-paying members.
Teamster’s president James Hoffa receives over $380,000 in compensation annually.
An astounding 180 other Teamsters executives receive over $100,000 a year in compensation.
The average employee with a union membership receives between $29,000 and $47,000 per year for their work and are required to give unions 1-5% of their gross salary.
U.S. Unions collected $8.8 billion in dues in 2012.
West Virginia is considering right-to-work legislation that would remove the collective bargaining agreements between unions and employers.