The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“SUPPORTING RIGHT-TO-WORK LAWS” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Commerce was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H1962-H1963 on April 20.
The Department includes the Census Bureau, which is used to determine many factors about American life. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, said the Department is involved in misguided foreign trade policies and is home to many unneeded programs.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
SUPPORTING RIGHT-TO-WORK LAWS
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Brooks) for 5 minutes.
Mr. BROOKS. Madam Speaker, earlier this month, employees at Amazon's Bessemer, Alabama, fulfillment facility rejected unionization by a 1,798-738 vote. That is a monumental 70 percent against unions to a meager 30 percent for unions.
Bam. That kind of vote sends a powerful anti-union, pro-liberty message to America and the world.
I applaud Amazon's Bessemer employees for rejecting unionization attempts by out-of-state agitators, from the President to Hollywood actors and on down. A primary reason why Amazon chose to locate nearly 6,000 good-paying jobs in Alabama is Alabama's nonunion reputation.
Alabama maintains that reputation after Bessemer's overwhelming anti-
union vote, thus ensuring even more companies will relocate even more good-paying jobs from union States up north into Alabama.
Alabama is a right-to-work State.
What does ``right to work'' mean?
Right-to-work laws protect citizens from being forced against their will to join a union, pay union dues, and subject themselves to union bosses.
Alabama's right-to-work status gives Alabama a strong economic advantage over forced union States. For example, 69 percent of jobs reshored from overseas back into America between 2010 and 2019 have gone to right-to-work States. U.S. Commerce Department data, adjusted for cost-of-living differences, revealed that 2019's manufacturing job pay in right-to-work States averaged $83,000 per employee, $4,000 more than in forced union States. That is a big difference in pay.
According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, right-to-work States' overall job growth was a robust 11 percent over the past decade versus a meager 2.4 percent in forced union States. When that data is limited to manufacturing jobs only, right-to-work States, over the past decade, enjoyed a very good 9.1 percent increase in manufacturing jobs while forced union States had a horrible two-tenths of 1 percent cut in manufacturing jobs.
Better yet, 2018 Census data reveals that after-tax mean income per household, after cost-of-living adjustment, was $64,572 in right-to-
work States versus $60,244 in forced union States. That is, on average,
$4,328 more real, adjusted for cost of living, income per capita in right-to-work versus union States. That is a huge difference.
So, Madam Speaker, the economic data clearly proves that right-to-
work laws benefit workers. Consistent with that economic prosperity and desire for freedom and liberty--after all, no one likes being told what they can and cannot do--74 percent of Americas say they support right-to-work laws, according to a recent Gallup Poll.
Despite overwhelming American support for right-to-work laws, dictatorial Socialists in March rammed through the House a bill that repeals all right-to-work laws in America. Worse yet, dictatorial Socialists seek to use President Biden's infrastructure bill to slip in a provision that repeals all right-to-work laws in America.
I hope neither of these terrible dictatorial bills ever reaches President Biden's desk. Certainly, I will vote against them and I will vote for freedom, liberty, and protection of America's right-to-work laws.
Madam Speaker, America would be stronger if more States would enact right-to-work laws. I encourage citizens and elected officials to promote right-to-work laws, freedom of choice, and the freedom and liberty right-to-work laws represent.
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