Dear Editor:
It's been over a month, and I'm still proud and impressed with Missouri voters' resounding "no" on Proposition A, which would have allowed workers to opt out of paying union dues while fully benefiting from their union's work on their behalf. (An obvious attempt to further lessen the power of unions.) Sen. Claire McCaskill was publicly against the proposition while Attorney General Josh Hawley never wanted the proposition to go before the voters of Missouri. A spokesperson for Hawley said "nobody should be forced to pay union dues" citing stagnant wages and the cost of healthcare. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/08/08) I guess the 67.5 percent of Missouri voters who voted "no" on Prop A disagreed with him.
As for concern about stagnant wages, Sen. McCaskill has come out 100 percent in support of raising Missouri's minimum wage to $12. (A measure on the ballot this Election Day.) As of a month ago, Mr. Hawley was "undecided" about raising the minimum wage - he said it's "probably a good idea" - even though he says he's definitely concerned about "stagnant wages." Probably? As far as his concern about the cost of healthcare, Mr. Hawley would probably do well to talk to and listen to union members - active and retired - about their healthcare costs. Personally, as a retired union schoolteacher, I'm extremely happy with my family's healthcare costs and quality, and wish every family in America had the same access my family has.
When certain folks talk about making America great again - I'm still not quite sure what that means, and for whom it was great and at what time - I think back to my mother and father who raised five children in a home they owned from 1964 to the early '90s. My father was a union member with great benefits, allowing my mother to stay at home and do the incredibly difficult task of running a household filled with kids. Unions don't only protect their members; they benefit everyone. This is why we have the phrases "union wages" and "union benefits." If employers want to attract higher-quality workers, they have to be held to a higher standard. For many non-union workers, that is the union standard.
There's no "probably" about it.