Romney calls right-to-work laws a state issue

By Shira Schoenberg, Globe Correspondent

CLAREMONT, N.H. -- Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said today that while he favors right-to-work legislation on a state level, he will not push for a federal right-to-work law.

“If there were to be a federal right-to-work law that reached my desk, I would support it,” Romney said. “But the right approach is a state by state approach at this stage.”

Pressed by John Kalb, executive director of New England Citizens for Right to Work, about whether he would actively advocate for a federal law, Romney responded, “I’m a Tenth Amendment guy. I’d like the states to be the place we carry out this path.”

Under federal law, no worker can be forced to join a union as a condition of employment. But workers’ contracts can place them under the jurisdiction of a collective-bargaining unit, which can require nonunion members to pay fees to cover the union’s costs for representing them. So far, 22 states have passed right-to-work laws that forbid unions from collecting mandatory dues from nonmembers.

Romney has emphasized his support for right-to-work on his current trip to New Hampshire, releasing a video today that promotes right-to-work legislation.

The video features Fred Kfoury, president and CEO of Central Paper Products in Manchester, N.H. Over shots of workers at the paper company, Kfoury says he believes his workers are happy and a union would inhibit business growth. “What if they don’t want to join the union and the union says you have to join?” Kfoury asks. “We live in the ‘Live Free Or Die’ state, and they can damn well choose whether they want to join an organization or not join an organization.”

The Republican-led Legislature in New Hampshire passed right-to-work legislation last session, but has not been able to muster enough votes to override a veto by Democratic Governor John Lynch. Romney, as he has in the past, urged New Hampshire to pass right-to-work legislation.