The hidden issue in South Carolina primary: labor union clout

Mitt Romney in particular has used the South Carolina primary to test anti-labor union policies as a campaign issue. His pitch to expand right-to-work laws could lead to Wisconsin redux.?

When South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley came to New Hampshire to endorse Mitt Romney earlier this month, it marked more than just a meeting of political expediency. Yes, South Carolina was the next state on the primary calendar. And yes, Governor Haley could help him there.

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But the topic of her?remarks?was something more than a typical stump speech. It was a trial balloon that could become a major issue in this autumn's general election.?

?One of the reasons we?re bringing jobs to South Carolina is that we have the lowest unionization in the country, and I want to keep it that way,? she said at a Jan. 6 rally in Tilton, N.H. ?Barack Obama doesn?t appreciate right-to-work states. Mitt Romney appreciates right-to-work states ? and I need a partner in the White House.?

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Right-to-work states are those that?that?bar unions from deducting dues from worker paychecks as a condition of employment. Unions see right-to-work as a bid to undermine union financing, capacity to organize, and?political clout.

Romney has used South Carolina, which is a right-to-work state, and New Hampshire, which is considering ways to become one,?as testing grounds for how such a debate might play out nationwide.?

Conservatives see the current campaign cycle as a rare opportunity to undercut union political clout. After historic gains in 2010 elections,?Republicans hold the governorships and new legislative majorities in a number of strong union states,?including Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Moreover, labor unions bankroll opposition to the sweeping pro-business agendas that undergird Republican orthodoxy.?

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Yet states like Wisconsin, where a Republican governor will likely face a recall election over his decision to strip unions of another right ? collective bargaining ? show the danger of taking on unions. Gov. Rick Snyder (R) of Michigan says that right-to-work legislation at this time is too divisive and not on his agenda.

If Republicans are going to make right to work a?national campaign theme,?they will need to do so cautiously, and South Carolina has given the candidates ? and Romney in particular ? an opportunity to test the waters. ?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/HEBdNzdL5PY/The-hidden-issue-in-South-Carolina-primary-labor-union-clout

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