In the weekly Republican message, Senate Minority whip Greg Lavelle (R-Sharpley) continues the GOP’s push for “right-to-work” legislation in Delaware.
Lavelle and House Minority leader Danny Short (R-Seaford) recently introduced a bill that would create right-to-work zones in an effort to lure manufacturing jobs to the First State.
No worker would be compelled to join or financially support a labor union as a condition of employment in the designated zones, and manufacturing businesses operating there that add at least 20 new workers would be exempt from paying the Gross Receipts Tax (GRT) for five years after those hires.
Lavelle says Democrats need to give the legislation serious consideration.
"This legislation is not new," said Lavelle Many General Assembly Republicans -- including myself, Danny Short, and Senators Colin Bonini and Gerald Hocker -- have proposed this and other job-creating bills, only to have Democrats block our efforts as Delaware's manufacturing jobs vanish.
Democrats have consistently opposed such measures, saying it’s essentially a bill to kill unions. A spokeswoman for Gov. Jack Markell (D-Delaware) says studies on right-to-work legislation are “inconclusive at best.”
Full text of Sen. Greg Lavelle's GOP weekly address:
I’m Senator Greg Lavelle.
Nationwide, the concept of spurring job creation through right-to-work legislation is gaining popularity and showing positive results. In 2012, Indiana and Michigan became the 23rd and 24th states, respectively, to adopt right-to-work laws. Since then, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Indiana has added 41,000 manufacturing jobs while Michigan has created 63,000 additional manufacturing positions.
By contrast, Delaware's manufacturing sector has struggled over the last decade. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the state had 33,800 manufacturing jobs in Feb. 2005 but just 25,500 people employed in the sector two months ago - a decline of nearly 25 percent. It’s time for Delaware to join other right-to-work states and begin to restore our state’s economy.
On April 2nd House Republican Leader Danny Short and I introduced legislation to empower the Director of the Delaware Economic Development Office (DEDO) to create right-to-work zones as part of the agency's inducements to bring new businesses to Delaware.
Under the measure, no worker would be compelled to join or financially support a labor union as a condition of employment, and manufacturing businesses in a right-to-work zones, who add at least 20 new workers, would be exempt from paying the Gross Receipts Tax (GRT) for five years after the hirings.
This legislation is not new. Many General Assembly Republicans -- including myself, Danny Short, and Senators Colin Bonini and Gerald Hocker -- have proposed this and other job-creating bills, only to have Democrats block our efforts as Delaware's manufacturing jobs vanish.
The time is now for right to work legislation, and I encourage all Delaware citizens to engage their legislators and demand that this vital tool be added to Delaware’s economic development tool box.
Thank you.
