“Right to Work” has a long history here in Virginia. We were the first in the entire country to pass it. Right to Work means that in a job setting, as a worker, you are not forced to join a union. Under this law, Virginia workers are not mandated to join a workforce union as a condition of employment. In other areas of the nation, if you want to work in a manufacturing plant, you must first join a union. This means paying union dues and being required to support something you may not agree with.

Why is this right so important? How does it help our Commonwealth? There are three main reasons: it encourages manufacturing jobs, it promotes business competition that benefits workers, and we move closer to the socialization of Virginia’s economy under a repeal of Virginia’s Right to Work law.

Virginia has been working to bring manufacturing jobs back to our state. We’ve had great success in recent years for many reasons, chief among them being our Right to Work law. That success is shown right here in Southside Virginia, in factories such as Hitachi and the new Microporous plant being developed in Danville. Manufacturers are drawn to the Commonwealth because they do not have to navigate the burden of strong unions that often stifle innovation and productivity. As a result, these plants bring good-paying jobs and contribute to economic growth.

A second benefit of preserving Virginia’s Right to Work law is that it fosters small business creation and encourages innovation. When businesses are hampered by union restrictions, they struggle to compete, wages stagnate, and prices stay high. Right to Work allows the free market to operate efficiently. Virginia is living proof of its success; we are currently ranked number one in the country for business. We must maintain that status.

Finally, repealing Right to Work would set us on a path toward the socialization of Virginia’s economy. This is a dangerous precedent. Our free-market system and labor laws have been key to our economic strength. States like New York, which do not have Right to Work protections, have not seen the same manufacturing resurgence that Virginia has, which is no coincidence.

Why is Right to Work such an important issue in this election? Surely, the other side can recognize its importance given its long-standing history and positive impact on our economy. Unfortunately, that is not the case with the other side of the aisle. All six Democratic candidates for Lieutenant Governor have said they would support repealing the Right to Work law. They want unions to have a significant say in our economy, which would undo the progress we have made in Virginia to be the top job-creating area in the nation. In the past, moderate Democrats understood that repealing Right to Work was a bad idea, further establishing just how radical the other side of the aisle has become. There is only one party and one ticket that will protect Virginia's Right to Work, and I hope people realize that under Virginia's Republican leadership, our Commonwealth will continue to grow. 

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