Michigan's adoption of a Right to Work law brought to mind the handicap in my industrial inducement efforts that Louisiana's lack of this law had. I contacted Right to Work states and did other research for two years on the effects of the law, failing to complete the thesis as the state passed the law.
I will never forget the reception I received on my second prospecting trip for Commerce and Industry. I was in St. Louis calling on such companies as ACF, Budweiser, and Emerson Electric. When I visited one large company I was greeted not by one or two men but eight or ten, seated around a table. As I walked into the room one official said, "Before you begin your presentation, we want you to know that for every reason you can give us why we should put a plant in Louisiana, we wil give you ten why we should not."
I felt pretty small as he continued, pointing to the map of the United States. "Look where Louisiana is located, the worst state for our distribution. Plus, you are the only state around you without a Right to Work law."
I tried to respond, pointing to our advantages, such as available labor, the ten-year exemption from property taxes, and revenue bond financing of plant construction. I did my best but it wasn't good enough, and it was far from the only time the lack of Right to Work was slapped across my face.
(A side note. Teachers in Michigan are striking against the Right to Work law. They might as well spend their time in the streets --only seven per cent of Detroit eighth graders are proficient in reading.)
I will never forget the reception I received on my second prospecting trip for Commerce and Industry. I was in St. Louis calling on such companies as ACF, Budweiser, and Emerson Electric. When I visited one large company I was greeted not by one or two men but eight or ten, seated around a table. As I walked into the room one official said, "Before you begin your presentation, we want you to know that for every reason you can give us why we should put a plant in Louisiana, we wil give you ten why we should not."
I felt pretty small as he continued, pointing to the map of the United States. "Look where Louisiana is located, the worst state for our distribution. Plus, you are the only state around you without a Right to Work law."
I tried to respond, pointing to our advantages, such as available labor, the ten-year exemption from property taxes, and revenue bond financing of plant construction. I did my best but it wasn't good enough, and it was far from the only time the lack of Right to Work was slapped across my face.
(A side note. Teachers in Michigan are striking against the Right to Work law. They might as well spend their time in the streets --only seven per cent of Detroit eighth graders are proficient in reading.)
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