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George Allen visits Dynax | STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVIS | The Roanoke Times

Staffer Katelyn Polantz reports from Blue Ridge:

Gov. George Allen, who is seeking the Republican nomination to run for the U.S. Senate in 2012, announced a plan today to amend federal labor laws to prohibit compulsory union membership.

Allen, as part of a campaign stop at a Botetourt County auto parts plant, described his “Freedom to Work Act” agenda as one that will create jobs, save taxpayers money and “protect the liberty of working men and women.”

The former governor and one-term U.S. senator pushed three key ideas today:

Freedom of movement. Allen called for amending federal law to prohibit the National Labor Relations Board from ordering any employer to move, close or shut down equipment. It’s in response to the NLRB’s complaint filed against Boeing Co. that the airline manufacturer was transferring an assembly line from Washington state to South Carolina to punish union workers. A similar bill has been proposed by House Republicans.

Freedom to contract. Allen wants to reverse an executive order that requires Project Labor Agreement rules on federal and federally assisted construction contracts. Such agreements generally require unionized workers and union work rules.

Freedom of association. Aside from bringing Virginia’s right to work law to the federal level, Allen wants to mandate secret ballots for union organizing votes.

Allen also answered questions about immigration, energy, unemployment benefits and higher education costs in a town hall-style meeting with about 100 workers at the Dynax America Corp. plant, which makes automatic transmission parts in Botetourt County.

Allen’s expected Democratic opponent in next year’s Senate race, former governor Tim Kaine, issued a response through spokeswoman Brandi Hoffine.

“George Allen told voters all they need to know about his approach to ‘worker freedom’ when he saddled this country with more than $3 trillion in debt, championed unfunded tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans that helped create our deficit problem, and voted against raising the minimum wage while voting to increase his own salary as a Senator,” Hoffine wrote.