Berry Craig, recording secretary for the Paducah-based Western Kentucky AFL-CIO Area Council and a professor of history at West Kentucky Community and Technical College, is a former daily newspaper and Associated Press columnist and currently a member of AFT Local 1360. Craig sends us this.

Buddy Cutler has some free legal advice for supporters of "right to work" for less laws:

You’re guilty of false and deceptive advertising.

“'Right to work' laws should be called the ‘right to freeload,’” adds the Louisville, Ky., labor lawyer.

Kentucky is not a "right to work" state. Cutler wants to help keep it that way.

He serves on the board of directors of the Louisville-based Kentucky Labor Institute, a non-profit organization that aims “to help forge a strong alliance between the union movement and academics for the benefit of all Kentucky workers.”

Cutler also supports alliances between unions and other progressive groups. He recently authored an article on the “Right to Freeload” in FORsooth, a monthly newspaper published by the Louisville chapter of the Fellowship of Reconciliation.

“‘Right-to-freeload’ laws don’t benefit any worker,” Cutler says. “They prohibit union security agreements—agreements between unions and employers, which allow unions and employers to require employees to pay union dues or fees as a condition of employment.”

Cutler says "right to work" laws—unions call them "right to work for less" laws—go against the principle of majority rule in employer-union relationships. Majority rule is a fundamental principle in how we're governed at the local, state and national levels, too, he adds.

For example, the Louisville-Jefferson County metro government must provide police and fire protection to all citizens, not just the ones who voted the mayor and the metro council into office. Likewise, all city and county residents pay taxes to support the government, which has to provide everybody essential services such as fire and police protection.

Because unions are chosen by a majority of employees in a unit, unions are required to represent all employees in that unit. A union must provide its services to all employees. Unions have to pay the cost of representing employees, just as local governments must pay the cost of providing services for everybody.

Cutler says employees who benefit from the union should help support the union.

Like taxes, union dues and fees provide the revenue that allows the union to negotiate benefits for all employees and advocate for all employees.

Worker wages are higher and benefits are better in "non-right to work" states than in "right-to-freeload" states. Thus, Cutler says the real goal of "right-to-freeload" advocates "is to weaken unions, the true advocates for workers, union and nonunion. Conscientious employers do not fear unions, but predatory employers look to 'right to work' to encourage a race to the bottom."

More information about the Kentucky Labor Institute is available from its director, Sy Slavin. His e-mail address is sslavin@insightbb.com. Visit the Kentucky Labor Institute online at www.KentuckyLaborInstitute.org.

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