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A resolution urging Nashville registered voters to vote NO on Tennessee Constitutional Amendment #1 in the upcoming November state and federal election.
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WHEREAS, the proposed Amendment #1 to the Tennessee Constitution, as proposed by SJR0648(111th) and SJR0002(112th), would add a new section to Article XI enshrining Tennessee’s Right to Work (“RTW”) laws currently codified in section 50-1-201, et seq. of the Tennessee Code Annotated; and
WHEREAS, Tennessee’s RTW laws have had the effect of dividing workers on issues affecting worker interests; and
WHEREAS, RTW laws were historically established after the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act as a tool to maintain Jim Crow efforts by disincentivizing Black and white workers from organizing unions and expressing worker solidarity; and
WHEREAS, workplace deaths are 37% higher in states with RTW laws, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, something Nashville has experienced acutely in recent years particularly in construction; and
WHEREAS, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, states with RTW laws spend less per student on K-12 education than other states; and
WHEREAS, according to data from the 2020 U.S. Census, poverty rates are 11.2% states with RTW laws and 8.9% in states with no RTW laws; and
WHEREAS, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, on average, workers in states with RTW laws make around $8,000 less per year than workers in other states.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:
SECTION 1: The Metropolitan County Council hereby goes on record as opposing the proposed Amendment #1 to the Tennessee Constitution and urging the registered voters of Nashville to vote NO on Amendment #1.
SECTION 2: That this resolution shall take effect from and after its adoption, the welfare of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.