Sen. Jim Forsythe: If We Honor Liberty…

Originally Published the National Right to Work Committee:

Not many states honor liberty like New Hampshire. Their license plates boldly proclaim “Give me liberty or give me death.” To say that forced unionism runs counter to that philosophy is an obvious statement.  

Senator Jim Forsythe makes that case in the Union Leader newspaper:

"Most Granite State citizens take their freedom and liberty seriously, which shouldn’t be surprising since our state’s motto is “Live Free or Die.” Yet each and every month, tens of thousands of Granite State workers are forced to surrender a portion of their paychecks to a union just to have a job and feed their family.

And to add insult to injury, the unions turn around and use this forced-dues cash to bankroll causes and politicians that many of these workers who are forced to pay union dues would strongly disagree with. I should know, since the unions mailed negative campaign material against me since I was openly campaigning on passing right-to-work legislation.

This is antithetical to the idea of freedom. No American should be forced to pay dues to any private organization as a condition of employment.

The good news is the General Court has the opportunity to right this wrong by overriding Gov. John Lynch’s recent veto of the New Hampshire right-to-work bill. This bill would simply make it clear that union membership is voluntary — the way any private organization should be — and would prevent Granite State workers from being forced to pay union dues just to get or keep a job.

Not only that, but it would provide a boost to our struggling economy. In fact, airline manufacturer Boeing just opened a plant that will provide 1,000 jobs in Charleston, South Carolina — where my mother lives — in large part because South Carolina has a right-to-work law. As long as we continue the practice of forced unionism in New Hampshire, we’re going to lose out on many of these job opportunities.

Add the freedom and economic benefits of a right-to-work law to the fact that nearly 80 percent of Granite State citizens support right-to-work, and overriding Gov. Lynch’s veto should be an easy vote for any politician.

I’ve been publicly supporting passage of a right-to-work law during my entire time in the state Senate, and I am hopeful that the General Court will override the governor’s veto and free the tens of thousands of Granite State workers from the shackles of compulsory unionism. Make sure to contact your local representative and urge them to do the right thing and override the veto.

Let’s live up to our state motto."

Read more at the National Right to Work Committee:

If We Honor Liberty…