Workers' Rights

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As governor, Romney sided with big business by speaking out against a bill that would have employers recognize a union as soon as a majority of employees sign authorization forms or cards saying they want to unionize. He described the bill as "dangerous legislation and political payback".

Because of a strike by the machinist's union at a Boeing plant in Washington State, the company decided to move to a $750 million facility in South Carolina, a right-to-work state. The National Labor Review Board then sued Boeing for unfair business practices. Despite the obvious fact that union jobs were being lost because of the move, Romney said that the suit "will result in American job losses and I think you can be sure there will be some losses in Iowa as well as other states". Romney finished by saying that “Instead of choosing American workers, he (Obama) chooses union bosses. Instead of standing up for jobs, he stands in the way of them.”

In another response to the National Labor Review Board's decision to sue Boeing for moving jobs from unionized facilities to South Carolina, Romney said that "“It’s the most egregious example of political payback, where the president is able to pay back the unions for their hundreds of millions in political contributions at the expense of American jobs” . He continued his assault on unions, stating that the Board's members are "union stooges" who were involved in an "assault on jobs" and an "assault on states that have right-to-work policies".

During the time of the auto industry's hard times, Romney had his own plan for Detroit, in addition to not giving them loans. Romney said that auto worker wages needed to be lowered, so that corporation's "huge disadvantage in costs relative to foreign brands" could be eliminated. That means new labor agreements to align pay and benefits to match those of workers at competitors like BMW, Honda, Nissan and Toyota. Furthermore, retiree benefits must be reduced so that the total burden per auto for domestic makers is not higher than that of foreign producers." Despite the fact that the auto industry was built on the backs of union workers, he said that "Companies in the 21st century cannot perpetuate the destructive labor relations of the 20th."

Romney said in a GOP debate that Texas Governor Rick Perry had so much luck with job creation because Texas was a right-to-work state.

Romney has become labor's public enemy after stating that he wants to promote secret balloting for unions and the ability for workers to opt-out of union membership. He has vowed that, if elected, he would sign an executive order guaranteeing such rights on the first day of his presidency.

On the New Hampshire campaign trail, Romney has associated himself with far-right Tea Partiers by agreeing that he wants to fight for right-to-work policies in the states.

Romney has said he would seek rules and law changes make it easier to defeat unionization drives and to prevent mandatory witholding of union dues from workers.

Mitt Romney's economic plan states that "In the midst of an economic crisis, with 25 million people needing work, policies that strengthen the hand of labor unions (...) are probably the last thing the country has needed"

His economic plan also explicitly states that labor unions have caused companies to fail:  "As the labor union track record of recent decades shows, they can include the loss of one’s job when firms, saddled with high costs and restrictive work rules, begin to suffer losses, are unable to compete in the global economy, and ultimately fail." Romney continues this attack, saying that "American job loss to global competition has been most intense precisely in those manufacturing industries where unions drove up costs and reduced flexibility, making American firms uncompetitive."

His campaign has said that "A Romney administration’s NLRB appointees will repeal any rule implemented by the NLRB that distorted the law to accelerate the union election process."

Romney has stated that he is "110 percent" behind a ballot question in Ohio that would limit the collective bargaining rights of public employees.

Highlights from Romney's labor speech given in South Carolina:

• Romney’s labor policy will focus on free enterprise, free choice and free speech.

• Labor laws must be carried out even-handedly to provide businesses with the certainty they need to grow and thrive.

• The law must be clear: Any company is free to invest anywhere it wants.

• Workers have a right to vote on whether to unionize by secret ballot. That is a position that South Carolinians overwhelmingly support. In November, 86 percent of state voters approved a constitutional amendment that requires union elections to be conducted by secret ballot.

• Romney opposes so-called snap elections, or ambush elections, for votes on whether a company should unionize. He wants to build in protections that will ensure employers have time to protect their legal rights and talk to workers about the downsides of unions.

• Unions should raise cash for political contributions the same way any other business or supporter would, by asking for donations, not using paycheck dues to fund donations.