Jesse Wright will oppose incumbent Richard Heath for House 2 seat

Democratic House hopeful Jesse Wright of Mayfield says attracting industry is his top priority.

A "right to work law" is the way to do just that, claims his opponent, second district Rep. Richard Heath, R-Mayfield.

Wrong, says Wright, who has earned a unanimous recommendation for endorsement from the Paducah-based Western Kentucky AFL-CIO Area Council.

"I'm against 'right to work' every step of the way," said Wright, who Heath defeated in 2014. "One of the most damaging consequences of 'right to work' is that it lowers wages. We need good paying jobs."

RTW enables workers at a unionized jobsite to enjoy union-won wages and benefits without joining the union or paying the union a service fee for representing them in the collective bargaining process.

"At the end of the day, I view 'right to work' as freeloading," Wright said. "It lets people freeload off unions without paying their fair share."

The pro-RTW Heath also favors repealing the state's prevailing wage law. "The two go hand in hand," said Wright, who received the Kentucky State AFL-CIO endorsement in 2014.

"I support the prevailing wage. It gets back to the fact that people deserve a fair wage."

Added Wright: "If you look at other states that have eliminated the prevailing wage under the impression that construction projects would become cheaper, I think you will find out that didn't happen. Construction costs are the same. The only difference is that the workers are not getting paid well."

The second district encompasses Graves County and part of McCracken County.

The area council also has unanimously recommended for endorsement two western Kentucky House Democratic incumbents: Gerald Watkins of Paducah and Will Coursey of Marshall County.