BLACK RIVER FALLS, Wis (WSAU-Wheeler News) The owner of a Black River Falls construction firm says the Wisconsin right-to-work bill that’s up for a Senate vote today could devastate his business. James Hoffman of Hoffman Construction says he relies on the Operating Engineers’ union to train employees for his company. And if workers no longer have to pay union dues, Hoffman fears that the training efforts will be scaled back — and he could no longer rely on a steady stream of qualified builders.
Hoffman took his concerns to a public hearing of the Senate’s labor committee yesterday. Plumbing contractor Paul Christensen asked who would provide training for his unionized workers. He guessed it would be the taxpayers — and in Christensen’s words, “I don’t want that. I want to stand on my own two feet.”
The state’s largest business group takes issue with the idea that right-to-work would eliminate union-sponsored worker training. Scott Manley of the Wisconsin Manufacturers-and-Commerce group says union dues don’t pay for that. He also said non-union companies manage to provide training programs. W-M-C is among the staunchest supporters of the right-to-work bill. That group and others say workers should not be forced to join unions or pay dues to work in a union shop — even though the unions are required to give them the same benefits and protections as their members get.
