Rapid Response Feedback Report: Collective Bargaining Rights Protected in New Hampshire!

Click here to download this Feedback Report as a PDF.

Last month, working people in New Hampshire scored an important victory! HB 1704, a bill that would have undermined collective bargaining rights for public employees, including USW members at Manchester Water, was indefinitely postponed by a vote of 177 to 159.

This bill was a direct attack on unions. It would have allowed employees to bypass their union and
bargain individually with their employer while still receiving union-negotiated wages, benefits, and protections. It also sought to ban union representation in grievances and criminalize routine union activity. These are the core elements of so-called “Right-to-Work” schemes, designed to weaken unions, create free riders, and shift power away from working people.

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle came together to reject this attack on working people, showing that protecting collective bargaining rights is not a partisan issue. Whether you contacted lawmakers, submitted testimony, or stood in solidarity, your efforts made a real difference and helped protect the rights of working people across New Hampshire.

Thanks to strong opposition from workers across the state – HB 1704 has been stopped!

We will remain vigilant. Attacks on collective bargaining can come back in different forms, and we must be ready to respond.

For more information on this issue or how you can get more involved with Rapid Response, please contact District 4 Rapid Response Coordinator, Mark McDonald, at [email protected]