To the editor:
The Jan. 10 Ledger-Transcript includes a story entitled “At-will employment can hurt,” reporting that a man lost his job because he attended the birth of his son. The same issue prints a letter from Rep. Jim Fedolfi crowing over so-called “right-to-work” legislation, which he enthusiastically supports.
Let’s be clear about this: “Right to work” legislation is anti-union legislation, and that means anti-worker legislation. Mr. Fedolfi doesn’t mention unions, although the purpose of “right-to-work” legislation is to prevent unions from receiving any compensation from non-members whose interests they nonetheless represent. Rather he misleadingly refers to a “third party.” Unions are not a “third party” but are the workers themselves, joined together to protect their rights and dignity as human beings. Only strong union representation could have saved that man from losing his job without just cause, since the state of New Hampshire has no interest in protecting him or anyone else from abusive employers.
Republicans are always preaching individual responsibility. Well, unions consist of people taking responsibility for themselves by working together for their mutual benefit rather than depending on the government. So why are Republicans like Mr. Fedolfi so anti-union? Could it be that they just disdain anyone who depends on a paycheck?
Unfortunately, many people don’t understand that unions not only built modern America but elevated the status of millions of people so their children could attend college and build solid middle-class lives for themselves and their families. If we allow legislators to take away the rights of working people to organize, we are going to further enlarge the gap between the wealthy few and the rest of us. Let’s not let that happen.
William Doreski
Peterborough