AUGUSTA, Maine –  At least a few Maine lawmakers are trying to convince their colleagues that their state would be wise to jump on the right-to-work bandwagon.

A bill proposed by state Rep. Lawrence Lockman, R-Amherst, would repeal a law that allows the Maine State Employees Association (which represents most state employees) to deduct the equivalent of union dues from the paychecks of state workers who choose not to join the union.

The same bill would remove the obligation of the state union to represent all employees – union and non-union – at the collective bargaining table.

MORE NEWS: Know These Before Moving From Cyprus To The UK

Another bill proposed by Lockman would allow residents to accept employement at a private business without agreeing to join a union or provide financial support for a union.

Lockman says his two bills would be economically beneficial for Maine. He noted a recent study showing employment growing 71 percent in right-to-work states between 1980 and 2011, and only 32 percent in other states, according to a report in the Bangor Daily News.

He also noted that 9 of the top 10 states in Forbes 2012 ranking of the best states for business have right-to-work laws, the news report said.

“Half of the country is now right-to-work, and unless Maine joins this wave of economic growth, we will be left behind to pick up the scraps,” Lockman was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

While right-to-work legislation is generally supported by Republicans, a prominent House Democrat raised some eyebrows by endorsing Lockman’s bill pertaining to the state employees union and non-member dues.

State Rep. Terry Hayes, D-Buckfield, said she doesn’t believe the state should have laws like the one that allows the union to deduct dues from certain employee paychecks. She believes those issues should be negotiated between the union and management.

MORE NEWS: How to prepare for face-to-face classes

“I’m a staunch supporter of collective bargaining, and I’m a staunch critic of labor and management doing an end around collective bargaining by coming to the legislature,” Hayes told the newspaper.

Hayes also said she believes unions should sink or swim based on their ability to demonstrate their value to members and other employees.

“If you impose a fee on nonmembers, you diminish the opportunity for union leaders to have to demonstrate their value to their members,” she said.

Lockman’s right-to-work bills are similar to legislation that failed to gain approval during the last legislative session, when Republicans held majorities in the state House and Senate. Democrats now control both houses, making passage even less likely, according to the newspaper.