For Immediate Release:
October 22, 2003
Sen.
Frank Shurden
Senator Shurden Seeks to Repeal Right to Work
Oklahoma's
right-to-work law could be eliminated by a vote of the people
under a Senate joint resolution filed today by Sen. Frank
Shurden, D-Henryetta.
SJR 27, which is co-authored by Rep. M.C.
Leist, D-Morris, and Rep. Jerry
Ellis, D-Valliant, seeks to allow Oklahoma voters an
opportunity to repeal the Constitutional right-to-work provision
that was approved during the 2001 special election.
Sen. Shurden said that if his right-to-work repealer measure
is approved by the legislature, it will appear as a state
question on the 2004 general election ballot.
"It's high time that we take another look at what this
law is really doing for the working people of Oklahoma,"
Shurden said.
"All we heard from the Keating administration was that
right to work would provide workers with more freedom and
lead to another land run of companies that would create
employment. But the truth of the matter is that Governor
Keating lied – workers have really just become free
to lose their high-paying jobs."
Shurden added that since SQ 695 was approved by voters on
Sept. 25, 2001, unemployment continued to grow until the
summer of 2003.
"Recent employment figures show that almost 87,000
Oklahomans are unemployed, which is nearly 20,000 more unemployed
than we had before right to work," Shurden said.
The Henryetta Democrat cited plant closings and losses of
thousands of high-paying jobs since the approval of right
to work as evidence that the law has done little to help
the Oklahoma worker.
Shurden said the net loss of high-paying jobs, many of which
have been replaced by minimum wage and other low-paying
jobs, has led to a loss of state tax revenues and a decrease
in buying power for consumers.
He also added that right to work's weakening of labor unions
has helped accelerate the state's losses by reducing the
quality of health and medical benefits, as well as the ability
of unions to safeguard workers' health and environmental
conditions.
"Right to work has reduced the power of the unions
to defend workers, plain and simple. Telling someone that
they don't have to pay dues but then requiring the union
to defend them anyway is simply unfair," Shurden remarked.
"When the day comes that unions are unable to offer
a high level of protection, who's going to stand up for
working men and women when their employer wants to leave
them out in the cold? Not the corporations, that's for sure."
Lawmakers will consider SJR 27 during the Second Session
of the 49th Legislature, which begins on Feb. 2, 2004.
For more information, contact:
Senate
Communications Division
- (405) 521-5774
