Legislators heard the pros and cons Sunday of proposed legislation to make West Virginia a right-to-work state, with proponents saying it will help grow the state's economy, and opponents calling it an effort to destroy unions and hurt working-class families.
Both sides agreed that average wages are lower in right-to-work states, but differed on whether that is a good or bad thing.
James Shirk, a research fellow for the conservative Heritage Foundation, agreed that overall wage rates are 3 percent lower in right-to-work states, but said almost all right-to-work states also have lower costs of living.
"Right-to-work states attract investments and jobs," he said, saying it's no coincidence that foreign automakers have located plants in right-to-work states in the southeast.
Right-to-work laws prohibit union membership, or payment of union dues, as a condition of employment.
Shirk likened unions to monopolies, which he said have no incentive to improve their quality of service.
"Unions do not have to earn their members' support," he said. "Whether they serve them well or not, they have to pay [dues]."
Kenny Perdue, president of the West Virginia AFL-CIO, said not only are wages lower in right-to-work states, but workplace safety is 54 percent lower. Citing recent mine disasters, Perdue suggested the state should not do anything that could weaken workplace safety.
"A right-to-work law does nothing to help West Virginia's economy, and hurts West Virginia working families," he said. "This is not about job creation. It's about attacking unions."
Ken Hall, president of Teamsters Local 175, said that unlike many of the corporations pushing for right-to-work legislation, union workers spend their wages and pay taxes in West Virginia.
"If this is simply a war on unions, let me make sure you understand who unions are," Hall told legislators. "These are hardworking West Virginians."
Ted Boettner, executive director of the West Virginia Center for Budget and Policy, questioned why the state would want a policy that lowers wages when West Virginia already has one of the lowest wage rates in the U.S.
"You have to ask yourself, is that the best thing we can do for our economy today, to pay people less?" he asked.
John Deskins, director of the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at West Virginia University, noted it is very difficult to tie economic growth to any one factor.
He said that of the 10 states that adopted right-to-work laws between 1950 and 2011, half have had economic growth that exceeded national averages, and half have had economic growth below national averages.
Legislative leaders have indicated they will push for passage of right-to-work legislation in the 2016 session.
Sunday's discussion before the interim Joint Committee on Judiciary attracted hundreds of union members, who packed the House Government Organization Committee room, and spilled out to fill the adjacent hallway in the East Wing of the Capitol.
They made their voices heard at several points during the more-than-two-hour session, including when Senate Majority Leader Mitch Carmichael, R-Jackson, asserted that unions use members' dues to support Democratic candidates.
Reach Phil Kabler at philk@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1220, or follow @PhilKabler on Twitter.