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House Republicans Unveil Right to Work Act of 2012
Bill is first item of this year’s GOP Agenda, sponsored by entire Caucus


COLUMBIA, S.C. – The House Republican Caucus, flanked by House Speaker Bobby Harrell, Governor Nikki Haley, and LLR Director Catherine Templeton, unveiled sweeping legislation today designed to protect the rights of our state’s workers.

The Right to Work Act of 2012 is a central part of the Caucus’s commitment to strengthening our state’s business environment and creating jobs. The bill was pre-filed with the entire Republican Caucus signed on as co-sponsors.

“Every South Carolinian should have the right to work and make a living for his or her family without being forced to join a union or pay dues,” said Rep. Bill Sandifer, Chairman of the House Labor, Commerce, and Industry Committee. “Union participation should be a matter of choice for each individual in our state. This bill is about protecting this important individual liberty. We identified more than a half-dozen places where our Right to Work Act could be strengthened to protect our workers.”

The legislation requires employers to display a poster that informs workers of our state’s Right to Work protections, and clarifies language that the Right to Work must not be denied because of membership, or non-membership, in a labor organization.

“Chairman Sandifer is leading the effort in the House to make our state even more competitive by defending the rights of our workers to freely choose whether or not they want to be in a union,” said House Speaker Bobby Harrell.  From their direct assault on private businesses locating here to their threats of a lawsuit because we protected our workers’ right to a secret ballot, this Administration in Washington is clearly attacking South Carolina and other Right-to-Work states across our nation.  I’m proud to be a co-sponsor with Chairman Sandifer on this bill strengthening our Right-to-Work laws so that South Carolina can remain a great place to live, work and raise a family.”

The legislation also increases labor organization transparency, increases civil penalties for violations, and requires written authorization for any union dues to be deducted from a worker’s paycheck.

“We received great news today that our state’s unemployment rate has dropped to its lowest rate since 2008, but preserving the rights of workers and ensuring minimal outside interference in a business’s affairs is an ongoing fight that the Republican Caucus takes very seriously,” said House Majority Leader Kenny Bingham. “This effort is not about demonizing labor organizations, it is about protecting the Constitutional rights of our workers.”