The same week Senator Brian Kelsey (R) of Shelby County celebrated the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr. by tweeting the MLK quote “The time is always right to do what is right.” he introduced legislation that would cement Tennessee as a “Right To Work” in our Constitution.
For those that don’t know, the Right To Work law was enacted in 1947 but does not do what the name suggests Instead of being a guarantee of employment to people seeking work, it depletes union resources by enacting a government ban on requiring employees in union workplaces to pay union dues. They get the benefits, i.e. safe workplaces, collective bargaining, etc., without the investment.
For our inaugural episode of If You Don’t Know, Now You Know we sit down with Senator Katrina Robinson, TN AFL-CIO Alyssa Hanson political and communications director, and TN AFL-CIO Secretary/Treasurer AJ Starling to discuss this issue, how it negatively impacts every resident of Tennessee and the misnomers around the name itself.
As always, we remind you of the importance of voting, particularly in local and State elections. If you aren’t registered to vote, or don’t remember if you are or not, please check your status by visiting sos.tn.gov.
Podcast: Download
Produced by Emily Cupples and TNDP
Distributed by We Own This Town
Guests
Senator Katrina Robinson
TN AFL-CIO Alyssa Hanson
TN AFL-CIO Secretary/Treasurer AJ Starling