Washington lobbyist Grover Norquist, the head of the powerful “Americans for Tax Reform” group, likes to portray himself as simply an anti-tax activist.
But his activism often simply centers around cementing corporate power. For example, his organization hasAi??gone to bat to prevent Americans from getting cheaper prescription drugs after it received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the industry, something he failed to explain to me in a video interview earlier this year.
In Michigan, Norquist’s latest crusade is to pass a “Right To Work” (for less) law that would weaken unions in the state. In an interview with The Detroit News, Norquist said that “In addition to an economic imperative, it is a moral one,” that the state pass this new anti-union law.
Under so-called “right to work” legislation, workers are allowed to have a free ride and get union benefits without being required to pay dues. This results in weaker unions, which results in far less generous pay, conditions, and benefits for workers. As one example, occupational-fatality rate in the construction industry is 34 percent higher in so-called “right to work” states than those that respect the rights of unions.
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