Dive Brief:
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More than 300 Wisconsin contractors and businesses—all related to construction in some way—have come together to oppose a proposed right-to-work law in their state.
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The coalition formed in an effort to defeat conservative-backed legislation that would prevent construction firms and other businesses from requiring employees to be union members.
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The Wisconsin Contractor Coalition contends that construction companies traditionally have partnered with unions, which provide safety and skills training that qualifies laborers for jobs in the industry. Supporters of right to work counter that union membership, which requires members to pay dues, should be voluntary.
Dive Insight:
Behind the effort to become the country’s 25th right-to-work state is Wisconsin’s proximity to Iowa, Indiana and Michigan, which have already adopted similar laws. Republican leaders in the state Legislature have said that most businesses prefer to locate in right-to-work states, and that Wisconsin is missing out on tax revenue every time an organization moves out of the state or shuns it because has not enacted the law.