wow. hyperbole much?

[netmouse]

Just got an email from the democratic party about the primary election. At the bottom they have this to say:

BEWARE OF "RIGHT TO WORK" PETITION
At your polling site you may be asked to sign a petition to put Right to Work legislation on the november ballot.
Right to Work means Right to Work for Less. This legislation would:
Reduce wages and benefits
Weaken labor unions
Destroy the middle class
Please do not sign these petitions. This is an attempt by Corporations and out-of-state millionaires to further weaken Michigan's economy.

(emphasis mine)

this article reports that, "According to the U.S. government, poverty rates are 16 percent higher in right-to-work states. Due to poverty rates, these states have the worst infant mortality rates in the nation. Personal bankruptcies are also higher in right-to-work states."

That's not destroying the middle class, that's hurting the lower classes. at best the lower middle class...

Anyway, I'm not supporting or opposing the "Right to work" movement (here's another article against it) but I'm tired of people trying to play with my fear. I'm not afraid, people. Not more than is reasonable anyway.

Comments

[howardtayler.livejournal.com]

I'd be interested to know the following:

1) What is unemployment like between RTW and non-RTW states?
2) What is the welfare burden like between RTW and non-RTW states?
3) Where are the 1-to-1 statistical coordinations, if there are any?

--Howard "Not a member of a Union" Tayler

[nicegeek.livejournal.com]

I think that a proper evaluation of RTW would need to control for a lot of other variables, too. It would have to find two areas that are very demographically similar, except for one being RTW, and the other not.

Another way to study it might be to find several states that went from non-RTW to RTW (or vice-versa), and see if there was a common trend.

I'd be very interested in the answer as well, but I'm not up for doing that much data diving, and the journal articles I found were all on pay sites. Someone at a University with journal access might be able to do better.