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Continue Wave of Attacks on Workers
House bill would leave employees at the mercy of employers
Washington, D.C. – The New Hampshire legislature has stepped up its war against workers with a proposal to dramatically roll back collective bargaining laws and put employees at the mercy of employers.
The GOP-dominated House Finance Committee approved an amendment to the state collective bargaining law that would turn all state workers into at-will employees after a contract expires. The measure would give employers unprecedented power to drive down wages and benefits for state workers.
“This is yet another example of cynical ‘blame-the-worker’ state legislation. It’s happening all across the country from Wisconsin to New Jersey and now in New Hampshire,” IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger said. “Giving employers even more power won’t fix New Hampshire’s fiscal problems. Instead, it will force employees to work even harder for less wages and benefits.”
This measure is just the latest in a string of outrageous proposals to emerge from the New Hampshire State Legislature to slash workers’ rights. Lawmakers overwhelmingly passed a bill that would make it illegal for employers and employees to enter contracts that require nonunion-member participation. Lawmakers also are pushing to dramatically cut pension benefits for fire fighters.
“It is becoming clear that this legislative session has become more about settling political scores and disenfranchising certain groups than working to solve the real challenges facing our state,” said David Lang, president of the Professional Fire Fighters of New Hampshire.
It is now up to the New Hampshire State Senate to inject some sanity and fairness to the legislative process. Senate lawmakers can begin by rejecting this bill and all others that rob employees of their rights.
The IAFF, headquartered in Washington, represents more than 298,000 full-time professional fire fighters and paramedics. The IAFF is the leading advocate in North America for the health and safety of first responders. More information is available at www.iaff.org
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