HARRISBURG - State Rep. Jerry Knowles (R-Berks/Schuylkill) joined several House colleagues in unveiling Pennsylvania's Open Workforce Initiative at a press conference held today at the Capitol. The bill package is aimed at giving all Pennsylvania employees an option as to whether or not they join a union at their jobs.

Knowles is the prime sponsor of House Bill 54 which prohibits private-sector employment from being conditional upon membership or non-membership in a labor organization. Compulsory dues would be prohibited for non-union members."This whole idea of giving employees a choice when it comes to whether or not they want to belong to a union is a no-brainer," said Knowles. "Though my bill focuses specifically on private-sector employees, this is a fundamental right that should belong to all employees. Unions will not be eliminated as a result of this proposal - but employees will have the right to say no to join a union if they don't wish to belong."In addition to Knowles' bill, the Open Workforce Initiative includes measures to ensure that employment in Pennsylvania is not conditioned upon membership or non-membership in a union or on the payment or non-payment of money to labor organizations. Additionally, school teachers, and local and state government workers have the option to join a union. And public-sector employees would have the opportunity to opt out of their union at any time.For more information on Pennsylvania's Open Workforce Initiative, House Bill 54, or any state-related issue, visit RepKnowles.com or call his office in Tamaqua at (570) 668-1240, or in Hamburg at (610) 562-3411.