On Saturday, Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) signed into law a bill making Kentucky the 27th right-to-work state in the nation.
The following statement from Jesse Hathaway, a research fellow and budget/tax expert at The Heartland Institute – a free-market think tank – may be used for attribution. For further comments from him, refer to the contact information below. To book a Heartland guest on your program, please contact Jim Lakely at [email protected] and 312/377-4000.
“Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin’s (R) approval of House Bill 1 is a victory for workers all across the state. Instead of forcing people to join the organization against their will, as a condition of employment Kentucky unions will compete for workers’ business by upping their game and providing better service to justify the payment of dues.
“The new law, which became effective on January 8 with the governor’s signature, also benefits taxpayers, even if they choose to not join a union. By restricting government employees’ ability to go on strike and unfairly withhold government services as negotiating chips, the public’s safety and security is protected against such banal politics. Seeking to shut down the government and harm taxpayers to enrich labor unions’ bottom lines does not serve the public’s best interests, and Kentucky lawmakers are right to prohibit taxpayer-funded labor unions from hurting taxpayers in that manner.”
Jesse Hathaway
Research Fellow, Budget and Tax Policy
Managing Editor, Budget & Tax News
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
312/377-4000
Jesse Hathaway is a policy advisor for budget and tax issues at The Heartland Institute.
