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Right-to-work laws are statutes enforced in several US States, which prohibit several types of deals between employers and unionized employees, such as union security. "Closed shops", "union shops" and "agency shops" are forbidden, and "open shops" are enforced. Supporters of "right-to-work" laws claim that such laws give employees the right to work without joining a union. Opponents argue that the laws prevent free contracts between unions and business owners, making it harder for unions to organize and less attractive for people to join a union. They call these laws "work-for-less laws".
The power to pass right-to-work laws is delegated by an amendment to the Taft-Hartley Act, passed by the Congress over then-President Harry S. Truman's veto in 1947.
In a state with right-to-work laws, the government makes it illegal for a business and a union to agree to a contract where one of the stipulations is that the employer will only hire union labor, such as in closed shops. It also prevents agency shops where an employee who is not a union member is still required to pay a union fee. This law only applies to labor unions, and not contracts with other corporations to provide labor. It is also illegal for a union to go on strike to prevent non-union workers from being hired.
The opponents of right-to-work laws argue that they are essentially anti-union laws. The ability of non-union employees to benefit from collective bargaining without paying dues creates a free rider problem, allowing employees to leave (or not join) a union while still benefiting from the actions of that union, thus making union activities less sustainable. Levels of unionization are typically much lower in right-to-work states, and so are average wages. Job fatalities average about 30% higher in these states than the rest of the country, and 15 of the 20 states with the highest rates for on the job fatalities were right-to-work. It is not clear whether these are a consequence of lack of unionization, or whether both follow from a poor overall bargaining position for workers in these states or the low standard of living in many of these states compared to other states. Conventional wisdom, however, supports the view that by weakening the support for unions, right-to-work laws have consistently reduced wages, health benefits, and job conditions.
The following states have right-to-work laws:
Furthermore, the territory of Guam also has right-to-work laws.
Quotes concerning the right-to-work laws
"You will find some people saying that they are for the so-called 'right-to-work' law, but they also believe in unions. This is absurd. It's like saying you are for motherhood but against children" - Harry Truman
"In our glorious fight for civil rights, we must guard against being fooled by false slogans, as 'right-to-work.' It provides no 'rights' and no 'works.' Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining... We must demand that this fraud be stopped." - Martin Luther King Jr.
Links
Center for Policy Alternatives: Right to Work—-For Less (http://www.stateaction.org/issues/issue.cfm?issue=RightToWorkForLess.xml)
Seven ways that Oklahoma's right to work for less proposal violates the social teachings of the Catholic church (http://www.justpeace.org/rtw.htm)
www.fairwage.org - - Grassroots campaign to repeal the Idaho Right-to-work Law (http://www.fairwage.org/)
What's wrong with "right-to-work"? (http://www.pacifier.com/~union/righttowork.html)
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