On May 2nd, the Manassas & Manassas Park Cities Democratic Committee unanimously adopted the following resolution against a November 8, 2016 ballot measure–instigated by the Republican-dominated Virginia General Assembly–to enshrine Virginia’s nearly 70-year-old “right to work” laws in Virginia’s Constitution.
With your help, MMPCDC will educate local voters in the November 8 General Election to defeat this unnecessary and anti-worker proposed amendment to our state Constitution.
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RESOLUTION
EXPRESSING the opposition of the Manassas & Manassas Park Cities Democratic Committee to the proposed Virginia Constitutional Amendment on “right to work”
WHEREAS, Virginia’s Constitution is the supreme governing document of this Commonwealth; and amendments and alterations should be made judiciously, prudently, and for the betterment of the citizens; and
WHEREAS, the Commonwealth of Virginia has had a set of statewide “right to work” statutes (Code of Virginia §§ 40.1-58 through 40.1-69) in continuous effect since 1947;
WHEREAS, this “right to work” amendment is misleading and is the latest move in an on-going trend of attacking the middle class and stifling workers’ voices on the job; and
WHEREAS, “right to work” laws have proven to give multi-national corporations more power to outsource jobs, cut wages, and reduce benefits at the expense of our workers, small businesses, and the local economy; and
WHEREAS, this amendment is one of many that ignores the public good by unnecessarily depleting public resources, including more than $130,000 of taxpayer funds to be expended, that would be better spent addressing real issues throughout the Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, state legislators should focus on policies that support vital services in our communities, fund our schools, create good jobs, fix our crumbling infrastructure, raise wages, promote equal access, and protect hardworking Virginians; and
WHEREAS, business and labor should work together to create good jobs, improve the economy, and shun interference by special interest groups that seek to minimize the ability of Virginia workers to improve their economic status or deny economic opportunities to the middle class; and
WHEREAS, the collective bargaining rights of workers should be protected; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED on this the 2nd day of May, 2016, that the Manassas & Manassas Park Cities Democratic Committee expresses its opposition to amending the State Constitution of Virginia to include the “right to work” statute, because it is unnecessary, wastes taxpayer dollars, undermines the promotion of fair labor practices, and detracts attention and resources away from policies designed to support working families and our local communities.
