PROVIDENCE – Midwestern industrial states like Michigan and Indiana have enacted Right to Work laws to give employees a choice about whether or not to join a union. Pennsylvania is debating such a move, as well. But Rhode Island?!?

And some wonder: will the unions be better in Rhode Island than they were in Michigan and actually spell their governor’s name correctly on the giant rat?

From GoLocalProv.com:

Right to Work is a controversial topic that has recently become a popular talking point in many states around the country as school districts look for new ways to save money and break away from some of the negotiated contracts with teachers unions that opponents say are too burdensome to carry any longer.

But in a state like Rhode Island, which is so heavily democratic that you can almost count the Republican and Independent General Assembly members on two hands, the odds of any meaningful legislation broaching the topic even being discussed at the State House are slim, right?

Not if one State Senator gets his way.

In a bill submitted to the Senate Labor Committee last week, District 21 Senator Nicholas Kettle (Coventry, Foster, Scituate, West Greenwich) proposed allowing the state’s teachers the option of opting in or out of a union, a measure he says is designed to give them a choice but which national opponents have consistently argued is a backhanded attempt to strip unions of their power.

The theory opponents to Right to Work argue is that once teachers are no longer forced to be in a union, they’ll opt out and take their dues money with them and, without dues money, a union would be unable to operate.

But Kettle says that’s not his intention.

“Teacher’s should have a choice whether or not they want to be a part of an organization like the (National Education Association) NEA which uses questionable tactics in dealing with the legislature,” he said. “They extort funds from teachers to go to candidates for campaigns of people they may or may not support and I think this is another part of our civil rights. People should be able to choose if they want to join a union or not.”
     
Kettle, a fairly new politician who only just turned 22 and is in his second term after a razor-thin victory of 1.5 percent on election night, says he knows his legislation faces tough odds and an even tougher opponent.

“The money,” Kettle said when asked what the biggest challenge to a Right to Work law is. “The unions, the minion system that the NEA has so perfected. They’re able to give money to candidates who then do the bidding of the unions and those who do not are basically ousted for non-compliance. They donate to all these senators and representatives so to put something like this forward is very difficult with the money that we’re going up against and just the absolute entrenchment of the democrats.”

Still, Kettle hopes submitting his bill will at least start the discussion at the state level.