They are very different, very, very different.

One allows for a woman to control her own body,, to be responsible for her own decisions, and doesnt allow the government to make her decisions.

The other would punish businesses that prefer to deal with one bargaining unit for all it's workers, it would politicize public worker's jobs, it would allow corporations to abuse workers and give them an historically proven distructive power over the economic and physical health of the community.

If you want a better community all the way around, dump RTW and maintain a woman's right to choose.

@Jan - I don't think you've given a fair characterization of Right to Work. The bill simply allowed workers to choose whether or not to belong to a union and pay their fees. This, in no way, took away the bargaining rights of unions.

Gary, I was a teacher and was not forced to join the union. Also, breaking up unions allows tyrants and radicals to fire anyone at any time for any reason or no reason. Everyone needs protection from the powerful and the goal of busting unions is to get cheaper and cheaper labor.

Sonia - interesting that you mention teachers as this is the one group I could never figure out. They are college-educated and expect to be treated and paid as professionals yet they unionize like labor. I am an engineer and like other professionals, I work at the will of my employer and can be let go at any time. I don't, however, live in fear of that happening because I work to stay current in my area and strive to be a valued part of my company's technical staff. I recognize that if I don't bring my company more value than the cost of my salary & benefits, then I will become a liability to the company putting my continued employment in jeopardy. Doctors, lawyers, accountants and many other professionals work under these same kind of principles. Why is teaching different?

Dear Gary, I didn't say it was different, it's just better to be part of a union so some thug boss can't mistreat you. I'm happy if you have a great boss and he's fair to everyone who works hard but that's not always the case. What does the pay rate have to do with being unionized? In many developed nations, teachers make great money and don't have to depend on a partner to survie on their own like they do in the US, and they are all unionized. You really need to travel a little. Many college educated people are in unions all around the world. You realize there are other countries out there right? Do you own a passport because I know that only 30% of Americans have passports. http://articles.cnn.com/2011-02-04/travel/americans.travel.domestically_1_western-hemisphere-travel-initiative-passports-tourism-industries?_s=PM:TRAVEL

@ Sonia - I am not sure why you are responding in such a condescending manner. I just asked a simple question that had nothing to do with pay. I am genuinely interested in how teachers, as professionals, are different than other careers we call professionals. Since you mentioned that you were a teacher, I thought you might have a perspective. I have been to several other countries but that is completely beside the point. I was asking how professionals are treated in this country and besides teachers, I can't think of any that are unionized. If you don't care to share your perspective or engage in a discourse, that is fine but please spare me the insults. I wouldn't presume to know the first thing about you based upon a comment or two. Who knows? We may actually agree on some things.

@Gary, Your wording "expect to be paid as professionals" was a little off to me. Are pilots professionals? They are unionized? What does being a professional or not have to do with unions? Advantages of unions: Greater Access to Healthcare Coverage; Lower Cost.Dental Care: Union, 70% | Non-union: 44%; Vision care: Union, 53% | Non-union: 24%; Prescription drug benefits: Union, 90% | Non-union, 68%; Union workers also pay less out of pocket for their insurance than non-unionized workers do. Paid Leave: Union workers get 28 percent more days of paid vacation, on average, than non-union workers. 82 percent of union workers have paid sick leave, compared to 63 percent of nonunion workers. Wouldn't everyone enjoy these benefits?

•46 percent of unionized workers receive full pay while on sick leave, versus only 29 percent of non-union workers.

A More Secure Retirement
•Nationally, 77 percent of union employees in 2009 were covered by pension plans that provide a guaranteed monthly retirement income. Only 20 percent of non-union workers are covered by guaranteed (defined-benefit) pensions 20%.

•Union workers are 53.9 percent more likely to have employer-provided pensions.

I will admit that keeping either party from total control is a wonderful thing!

Hear, hear!

Proof please!

What did Ovide have to say?

(The place where I was watching the news was too noisy to hear his speech.)

Lynch was an excellent Governor. Remember how crazy Craig Benson was?

Thanks!

Billnh:

> Today NH, tomorrow Libia !

You know, I can't figure out which typoed word you intended. One's hilarious and one is just weirdly disconnected from reality.

@Prof. Kenney,

Thank you for sharing your perspective. I understand your rationale for forming the union but I am still not sure why it is necessary. So the pay isn't what you think it should be ... then why continue to work there? If all adjuncts feel the way you do and walked out as a result, wouldn't the system be forced to raise wages to attract you back? I would think that like engineering, there are many factors that contribute to making a good professor so shouldn't the employer be able to weigh those attributes to determine a mutually beneficial starting salary and career progression? For instance, I have a master's degree but over half of my department has PhD's. I also have the 3rd least number of years in our department of 50 engineers. Based on those two factors one might be tempted to assume that my pay scale and/or benefits would be in the bottom half of the group yet I am still in the top 3rd over many of those PhDs and more experienced engineers. This is because their are other attributes that make me marketable to my employer that go beyond years of experience and educational attainment. Wouldn't that also be true for professors?