Idaho Congressional Candidate Burns ‘Right to Work’ Survey in Ad, Calls for Repeal of RTW in Idaho
By Greg Pruett • September 4, 2024Idaho Democrat congressional candidate Kaylee Peterson burned the National Right to Work Committee survey in a new campaign ad.
Peterson is challenging Congressman Russ Fulcher for the 1st Congressional District seat. This is the second time Peterson is challenging Fulcher after losing to him in 2022 with Peterson getting 26% of the vote to Fulcher’s 71%.
In the video posted on Peterson’s X account, she says that the NRTWC survey harms Idaho. Peterson says in the video, in part,
“It’s 2024, and apparently if you want to run for office, you’re supposed to film a commercial setting something on fire with a flamethrower, like kids’ books or fake boxes of evidence.
But here in Idaho, we have jobs, and we’re gonna set something on fire that actually harms Idaho communities, like the National Right to Work Committee Survey.”
The video then shows Peterson lighting a torch and burning what appears to be the NRTWC’s survey that is sent to all congressional candidates.
In the video, Peterson goes on to say she has a 0% rating with NRTW and that Fulcher has a 100% rating with the organization.
Peterson ends the video by calling for a repeal of RTW in Idaho. Additionally, Peterson says Idaho should focus on “livable wages, access to healthcare, protecting pensions, and a comfortable retirement age.”
Idaho is a Right to Work state. According to the Business.Idaho.Gov website, the following paragraph is posted about Right to Work and unions:
“Idaho is a Right-to-Work state. Employees cannot be forced to join a union or pay union dues, nor can union or non-union members be discriminated against in hiring, promotion or termination. If your business hires union members, you may be required to negotiate a labor contract covering wages, benefits, and working conditions. A union negotiator will represent union members when problems arise. When the labor contract expires, your employees could strike if the demands contained in their new proposed contract are not accepted. If your business hires union members, either as employees or subcontractors, be certain you understand the laws with which you may need to comply.”
While Right to Work is a state issue, Fulcher is one of 131 Republican co-sponsors of the “National Right to Work Act.” The bill is H.R. 1200, which can be read here. It was introduced in Congress but remains in the House Committee on the Education and the Workforce.
According to the bill’s summary, it will,
“This bill repeals those provisions of the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act that permit employers to make an agreement with a labor union to require employees to join such union as a condition of employment.
Currently, at least 27 states have enacted laws prohibiting employers from compelling employees to become members of a union as a condition of employment.”
Idaho Dispatch contacted Patrick Semmens with the NRTW committee for a response to Peterson’s video, but we have not received one as of this writing. Update at 12:30 p.m. MT – NRTW committee Vice President responded to Idaho Dispatch’s inquiry with the following statement:
“No one should be proud of siding with union bosses against workers. The fact is, Right to Work doesn’t stop a single employee from voluntarily joining or paying dues to a union if they choose, but simply protects employees from being forced to pay tribute to a union boss as a condition of getting or keeping a job. Trusting workers with this basic freedom to decide for themselves is just common sense, which explains why polls consistently show overwhelming support for Right to Work, including among rank-and-file union members.
“Sadly, that sort of behavior is no surprise from a candidate like Ms. Peterson, as she’s been groveling nonstop for Big Labor’s attention, support, and resources in her second, and largely hopeless, race for Idaho’s First Congressional District.”
Peterson is among three challengers to Fulcher for the 1st Congressional District seat. Matt Loesby is running as the Libertarian Party candidate, and Brendan Gomez is running as the Constitution Party of Idaho candidate.
Do you support Idaho as a “Right to Work” state? Let us know in the comments below.
Tags: Democrat, Idaho, Kaylee Peterson, National Right to Work Committee, Republican, Right to Work, Russ Fulcher
kaylee peterson, my ass.
first and last time youll ever hear her name. excluding the ballot of course.
There should be NO public service (government) unions. How can you justify a collective bargaining with the same people the unions donate money and work to be elected?
I agree Steve. It is written somewhere that the government should have no unions: I can’t think of where right now. Schools especially should also have no unions. I heard a union guy on TV say that they decide things for schools and he made it clear that they don’t care about the kids. I will have to look for it.
Well, someone obviously gave her the number of Idaho’s political suicide hotline. What a joke.
I have always though it wrong that a person MUST join a union in order to get a job when that person would be working for the COMPANY/ORGANIZATION/DEPARTMENT, and NOT the union. Why should ANYONE be forced to join an organization that is NOT their employer and actually spends time and money FIGHTING that employer at times? Perhaps at one point in time there WAS need for unions, but I don’t think that they are needed now. My late husband was a Firefighter. He CHOSE not to join it because some of the money went to organizations that went against our beliefs. He got grief for it throughout his career but always answered the questions with grace and diplomacy. His non-membership never affected his reviews or his promotions and he was a Battalion Chief and lead Department Chaplain when he died. It is ironic that when he passed (due to job-related issues) that union he did NOT belong to made EVERY attempt to claim him. They went so far as to have his name etched onto a Fallen Firefighter wall in the Midwest even after I reminded them that he had NEVER been a member. They sent me the program from the ceremony. Today his name is etched on that wall with the union number next to his name.
This woman has total rocks for brains. A little “KOMMUNISTA” if I ever saw one. If RTW, like RCV, ever gets a foothold in Idaho, we can kiss this state goodbye. Of the 4 people we have in DC to represent Idaho, Fulcher is the ONLY one who is worth a damn. The other 3 (Crapo, Risch and Simpson) are garbage RINOs. I sorely wish that Scott Cleveland had won in the primary. He obviously gave Simpson (and Crapo) a real scare as they are both now running BS ads on TV. Fulcher has my vote EVERY time – pigs would fly before I voted this for this crap garbage. And if Scott ever runs again, he has my vote then too!
Everyone needs to check out John Stossel’s report on ‘removing idaho dams’ on Youtube…..dude is getting better with age!
Kaylee Peterson is exactly what’s wrong with democrat candidates everywhere: Who owns her? Who is funding her , and what do they expect to get? Unions are in the tank for the most corrupt government–local, state and federal–that we’ve ever seen!
what a retard