Former Republican State Senator Mark Hounsell Urges No Vote on Harmful Right to Work Bill

Long-time New Hampshire GOP figure was original sponsor of RTW legislation in 1985.

Hounsell says the bill is a “mistake,” will legalize “theft” and hurt the NH economy

Concord, NH (February 16, 2017) – Former Republican State Sen. Mark Hounsell is urging New Hampshire lawmakers to reject harmful Right to Work legislation that he once strongly favored. The long-time GOP figure – now a Carroll County Commissioner – says the NH bill and other measures like it are a “mistake” and more akin to a “right to steal.”

Hounsell was serving in the New Hampshire Senate in 1985 when he agreed to be a primary sponsor of Right to Work legislation. He later pulled support for such measures after closely reviewing the impact on workers, New Hampshire companies and the economy. In addition to serving on the Carroll County Commission, Hounsell is currently a Republican Labor Representative on the State Public Employee Labor Relations Board. He was formerly a plumber and pipefitter for 35 years.

“The blunt truth is, this bill will legalize stealing,” Hounsell said – echoing the message of a recent opinion piece he wrote for the Conway Daily Sun. “Right to work legalizes theft of services among men and women working side by side.”

Hounsell, who calls Right to Work “morally wrong,” said all workers benefit from the contracts, worker protections and other provisions that unions negotiate on their behalf. But RTW allows one category of worker to avoid paying a proportionate share of the expense for those services. Labor leaders and other observers call this “free-riding” or “free-loading.”

Hounsell says its theft – plain and simple.

“If New Hampshire passes Right to Work we have legalized the theft of services. It’s hard to understand how the good public servants of the New Hampshire House of Representatives could let that happen,” Hounsell said. “I know the Teamsters are working hard to spread the word statewide that House lawmakers should vote ‘NO’ on Feb. 16. They are most certainly not alone – as people across New Hampshire from all walks of life are recognizing this bill is wrong for our state.”

Teamsters Union Local 633 and Teamsters Joint Council 10 continue to press hard for support and action from people across New Hampshire in the final hours before the House of Representatives votes on Right to Work today – Thursday, Feb. 16.

Already, the damaging bill has been rejected by the New Hampshire House Labor and Industrial Services Committee, and decried by working people, middle class families, labor groups and others.

“Mark Hounsell has dedicated a large part of his life to public service and doing right by New Hampshire residents. We are thrilled to have his vocal support as we enter the final hours before the House vote,” said Jeffrey Padellaro, Secretary-Treasurer/Principal Officer of Teamsters Local 633. “We often say that ‘Right to Work’ really means a ‘Right to Steal’ for some people and a ‘Right to Work for Less Wages’ for many more. That’s the truth, and we are urging House members to follow their own Labor Committee recommendation and vote NO.”

Teamsters Local 633 represents more than 4,700 New Hampshire workers in a variety of fields, including thousands of men and women who serve the public each day. This includes UPS, public works employees, bus drivers, police, power plant and warehouse workers, airport maintenance, school principals, pipeline workers, race track employees and Anheuser-Busch workers. For more information, please visit www. http://teamsters633.com/