McMaster pushes against labor unions in SC. What other issues top his 2024 agenda?

Javon L. Harris
·2 min read
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Gov. Henry McMaster vows to fight against labor unions, improve access to mental health care and curb access to illegal guns in South Carolina.

McMaster launched an onslaught against labor unions in his seventh State of the State address Wednesday, calling out an effort by the International Longshoremen’s Association to urge the Port of Charleston to convert traditional state jobs to union labor.

“One thing we do not need is more labor unions,” McMaster said. “We have gotten where we are without them, and we do not need them now. We are a right to work state. We have the lowest union membership in the country.

S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster greets lawmakers ahead of his 2024 State of the State address before the General Assembly.
S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster greets lawmakers ahead of his 2024 State of the State address before the General Assembly.

“We will not allow the Biden administration’s pro-union policies to chip away at South Carolina’s sovereign interests,” McMaster said. “We will fight. All the way to the gates of hell. And we will win.”

Last year, a battle ensued between the International Longshoremen’s Association and South Carolina Ports Authority, after the National Labor Relations Board ruled that union workers could fill Charleston’s Hugh Leatherman Terminal’s workforce.

Following a decision in favor of the ILA and NLB by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, the case is now sitting before the U.S. Supreme Court.

“We have taken the fight all the way to the United States Supreme Court, which I believe will understand the dire implications of this conduct, uphold the law and rule in our favor,” McMaster said.

The governor also wants to assist law enforcement by blocking criminals from accessing illegal guns.

“Our law enforcement officers know who the repeat criminals are,” McMaster said. “They commit over 80 percent of the crimes. Unfortunately, this is happening every day. How long are we going to let this happen?

“Law enforcement needs our help. They need stronger laws to keep illegal guns out of the hands of criminals and juveniles, and they need new laws to ‘close the revolving door’ and keep career criminals behind bars and not out on bond.”