Right-To-Work states can be indentified on the map below. Ironically, the states labeled as “blue” are predominantly “red” states during election season.  42 Right-To-Work bills are pending in 24 other states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Right-To-Work is a foundation that was established to protect the civil rights of employees while eliminating forced unionism. Right-To-Work is not so much “anti-union” but rather anti-forced unionism. The laws give employees the option to decline joining a union, back out of a union, and barring union dues from being deducted from the paychecks of public employees.  Unions across the country have recently been under fire in many states and situations: Wisconsin, Ohio, New Jersey, and Boeing of Seattle.

Percentage Growth in Real Personal Income (1999-2009)

Right to Work States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28.3%
Forced-Unionism States. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.7%
National Average . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.5%

(For more statistics: http:www.nrtw.org)

 

When economic research displays a variation of state growth across the country, particularly in industry location and economic growth, it is in fact RTW laws play the significant factor. Unions play an even larger factor in the division of growth among the nation.  A union environment is naturally a less-attractive atmosphere to invest new capital resources and attract industry. It has been confirmed by economist Thomas Holmes (http://www.econ.umn.edu/~holmes/research.html) that manufacturing differs among counties in RTW regions. Holmes addresses the assumption that two bordering counties, one of which is located in a forced-union state, would be highly similar in most respects except for their business-policy environment. Holmes’ research discovered that “the manufacturing share of total employment in a county increases by about one-third when one crosses the border into the probuisness side.”

Immediately following Wisconsin, Governor Kasich of Ohio signed into law a limit on public-worker collective bargaining rights. Healthcare, sick time and pension benefits are no longer negotiable. Automatic public-worker pay raises are eliminated. The House Labor Committee added Republican-supported revisions that make it more difficult for unions to collect fees by banning automatic deductions from employee paychecks.

Most recently, The National Labor Relations Board has sued Boeing Co., claiming the company retaliated against its unionized work force in the state of Washington by opening a new production line for its 787′ airplane in the RTW state of South Carolina.  Through this lawsuit, the agency is demanding a judge order Boeing to return all 787′ assembly work to Washington.

In my home state of New Jersey, Republican Governor Chris Christie has been denounced as “Anti-Public Workers” or “Anti-Union”. If you recall the statistics above, Governor Christie is simply trying to establish a “Pro-Buisness” environment in his state. Last week, a RTW bill was quietly introduced into the State Legislature.”Workers ought to have the ability to decide whether they want to join a union or not,” said the sponsor, Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon, the top-ranking Republican on the Assembly Budget Committee.  She continued on, “If the unions can make a case they can benefit workers, I’ll withdraw the bill. If they fail to make that case, why should the government order people to join or comply?”  New Jersey democrats claim that the bill is “dead on arrival” and after New Hampshire RTW proposition failed, union-workers in New Jersey rally with hope that the war on unions will be won by the public. Last month, the New Jersey Education Association took a big hit when the Governor signed into effect a law requiring higher pension and healthcare benefits costs to those public employees.

Those teachers who contribute bi-monthly union dues, I bet, could have easily determined a better use to the collective $2 million dollars. Extra revenue in a worker’s pocket contributes to personal economic confidence. One person with economic confidence will be more likely to take their additional revenue and spread it amongst their community through personal spending. If a state has economic confidence, such as in an RTW state, industry and business will blossom while providing jobs and revenue.