“Right to Work” Amendment 1 is unnecessary, anti-labor and anti-union
Make no mistake about it, the term “Right to Work” is intentionally misleading. It has nothing to do
with your actual right to work which has been in effect in Tennessee for the past 75 years. The right
NOT to join a union is protected by federal law. Essentially “Right to Work” means “Right to Work for
Less.” Nowhere is that more apparent than in Tennessee which leads the nation in minimum wage
workers earning $7.25 per hour, a figure which hasn’t changed since 2009. That’s about $15,000 per
year. According to MIT’s Living Wage Calculator, the living hourly wage needed for an adult with one
child in Davidson County is $28.21 and $14.84 for a single person without children.
The result is that 1 in 5 Tennesseans live in poverty making this the 11th poorest state in the nation. For
those service workers reliant on tips, the situation is far worse since they can be paid as little as $2.13 an
hour so long as the they earn enough in tips to add up to the $7.25. Because Tennessee is one of 5
states which has no state specific labor laws, its minimum wage and overtime laws are regulated by
those set by the federal government. Hence, it’s small wonder that unions are unwelcome in a state
where cheap labor is promoted as a major enticement for big business and corporate interests.
Amendment 1 is yet another way to discourage unions and assure the continuation of low wages and
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