New Hampshire Teamsters Praise House Committee Vote to Stop Harmful Right to Work Legislation

Concord, NH (February 10, 2017) – Teamsters Union Local 633 and Teamsters Joint Council 10 today issued strong praise for members of the New Hampshire House Labor and Industrial Services Committee, which on Wednesday voted 14-7 against recommending the wage-killing Right to Work bill. Teamsters officials and thousands of local 633 members in New Hampshire are now targeting a full vote of the House scheduled for Feb. 16.

If passed, the New Hampshire Right to Work law would make it easier for businesses to pay lower wages, cut health and retirement benefits and reduce worker protections.

“We’re very pleased that the House Labor and Industrial Services Committee saw this legislation for what it is – an attack on working people and the middle class that will do nothing to spur economic growth,” said Dennis Caza, President of Teamsters Union Local 633. “Now we’re urging workers in every industry across the state to contact their legislators and remind them that Right to Work is bad for New Hampshire, and they should vote NO on Feb. 16."

New Hampshire has the lowest unemployment rate in the nation, and currently there are more than 20,000 open jobs across the state. If passed, the Right to Work law will make it more difficult for New Hampshire to address its single biggest economic challenge: attracting enough workers to fill critical job openings. Right to Work laws result in lower wages and weaker job protections, making it harder to attract workers.

“We think people all across New Hampshire – especially middle class families and those dedicated to economic growth – are standing with us against Right to Work,” said Jeffrey Padellaro, Secretary-Treasurer and Principal Officer of Teamsters Local 633. “What it really means is a right to work for less wages, fewer job protections, and more uncertainty for working people. We are working hard to get our members on the phone with legislators to remind them of this. And we are urging all citizens to do the same.”

Right to Work laws are in many states with higher unemployment rates and weaker economic growth. Nine out of 10 states with the highest poverty rates are those with Right to Work laws. Workers in Right to Work states earn on average about 25 percent less in pay and benefits that states without these laws.

“The false promise of Right to Work didn’t fool the House Labor and Industrial Services Committee, and we’re grateful for the Committee’s wise action,” said Sean O’Brien, Secretary-Treasurer and Principal Executive Officer of Teamsters Joint Council 10, which represents 22 Teamsters unions in New England. “Now we need to make sure as many legislators as possible get the message before Feb. 16 that this bill is bad for New Hampshire workers and families.”

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/