Page 5 - ATD13Febr2016

U.S. NEWS A5
Saturday 13 February 2016

Lawmakers vote to make W. Virginia right-to-work state

State Sen. Mark Obenshain (R-Rockingham) speaks on the floor path is necessary for a quired to represent every Organizing battles raged
of the Senate on Feb. 2. state that is shedding jobs worker. The law applies to in Appalachia throughout
in coal due to economic, new collective bargaining the 20th century, most no-
(Steve Helber/AP) geological and regulatory agreements. Employees tably the 1921 Battle of Blair
factors. They also pointed can currently be forced Mountain in West Virginia,
JONATHAN MATTISE Both the right-to-work and to the overall high unem- to pay fees, but can’t be where thousands of striking
Associated Press prevailing-wage-repeal ployment, a drug epidem- forced to join the union un- miners fought a shooting
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) proposals drew thousands ic and the worst popula- der federal law. war with law enforcement
— West Virginia, a suffering of protesting union workers tion loss of any state in the Democrats said right-to- and replacement workers,
coal mining state shaped to the Capitol over the past country. work would let people en- ending in dozens of deaths.
by the sometimes-bloody month. Both also snagged “We know that we have joy union benefits without One year earlier, 10 people
history of its organized la- a handful of ‘no’ votes to do something different paying for them, and they had died in Matewan, West
bor, is set to become the from House Republicans. if we, in fact, want those expressed concerns that Virginia, in a skirmish over
26th state with a so-called Even with a slim 18-16 edge different results,” said Sen- unions would be crippled eviction notices served to
right-to-work law. in the Senate, the GOP ate President Bill Cole, a without any economic miners who had joined the
In House and Senate party- had the advantage of a Mercer County Republican benefit. Studies on right- union.
line votes Friday, lawmak- much easier veto override and candidate for gover- to-work vary on economic “The union I come from, if
ers rebuked a veto Thurs- requirement than in most nor. “And my goodness, it’s impacts, but they largely you tried to better yourself,
day by Democratic Gov. states: Only a simple major- time for different results. We agree that union employ- you got shot at by com-
Earl Ray Tomblin. The move ity of both chambers was have to put West Virginians ment drops. pany thugs,” said Del. Mike
will solidify a law that pro- required. back to work.” During debate, House Caputo, a Marion County
ponents say will draw in The two pieces of legislation Right-to-work laws prohibit Democrats also detailed Democrat and United Mine
business and give workers were top priorities of a Re- companies from requiring the hardships workers en- Workers of America leader.
more freedom over their publican leadership team workers to pay union dues dured to unionize. Union “If you went on strike, they
ties to unions, but which op- that grabbed the reins of as a condition of employ- membership has been threw you out of the com-
ponents say is solely meant the Legislature for the first ment. Unions are still re- steadily declining. pany house.”q
to undercut unions. The law time in more than eight de-
becomes effective July 1. cades after the 2014 elec-
Along similar partisan lines tions. The GOP swept con-
Friday, the Legislature dealt trol from Democrats on a
another blow to unions by campaign linking them to
overriding a second Tom- President Barack Obama,
blin veto, of a law that will who is deeply unpopular
eliminate the state’s pre- in the state, largely for his
vailing wage on public environmental policies that
construction projects. The target coal.
law becomes effective in During debate on the bills,
May. Republicans said a new

Maine: LePage accused of insensitivity

LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Chiu Feng Chuan, chair-
Maine Gov. Paul LePage is man of a Chinese firm
being accused of racial in- that’s investing in U.S. pa-
sensitivity over a joke about per mills, including one in
a Chinese investor’s name. Baileyville, Maine.
The man’s first name is Chiu The governor’s office says
— pronounced “choo.” they have an “excellent re-
When LePage mentioned lationship.”
him Thursday at a Lewis- Not everyone was amused
tonbusiness breakfast, the by the joke. Cindy Han is a
Republican governor pro- board member of the Chi-
nounced it with an em- nese & American Friend-
phatic fake sneeze. ship Association of Maine.
LePage smiled, and many She told the Portland Press
at the luncheon laughed. Herald that the episode
The governor’s office said shows LePage is “tone
Friday that the investor is deaf” on race.q