America
Right-to-Work Surge Throws Unions on the Defensive
Big GOP gains in state legislatures last year are bad news for labor leaders hoping to hold onto compulsory dues in 2015.
“You’re seeing a divergence
GDP GROWTH IN 12 RIGHT-TO-WORK STATES EXCEEDS NATIONAL AVERAGE (All numbers expressed in percent)
1.86 3.36 0.57 -1.11 2.36 0.63 -0.11
National average:
0.90% 2.37 RTW states 0.90 Non-RTW states
Non-RTW states, expected to consider RTW legislation
DOES ‘RIGHT TO WORK’ REALLY WORK? Newsmax determined the average yearly growth rate for each of the 50 states between 2006 and 2013. Twelve right-to-work (RTW) states exceeded the national average, compared to seven states that exceeded it without right-to-work legislation. With the exceptions of Oregon and Alaska, the states with the biggest GDP gains were all states with right-to-work legislation.
SOURCE: Bureau of Economic Analysis BY ANDREW HENRY C
all it a delayed aftershock from November’s political landslide: GOP-dominated leg-
islatures in many states are poised to adopt right-to-work bills that would limit the power of Big Labor. Among those states: Colorado,
Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Washington, and Wisconsin.
28 NEWSMAX | MARCH 2015 According to National Right-to-
Work Committee President Mark A. Mix, Republicans’ November sweep clearly “increased the probability of success of right-to-work laws.” The latest challenge to the unions:
Gov. Bruce Rauner issued an order barring mandatory dues for Illinois’ public-sector workers. That doesn’t aff ect private-sector unions, but legis- lation may soon shelter them as well.
1.66 0.60
1.84 2.57
3.03 8.54
2.19 1.41 2.06 3.17 1.09 0.49 -0.53
1.33 0.31
1.24 0.64 0.74 0.46 0.11 -0.89 0.11 1.01
0.56 0.41
0.66 0.43 0.93 0.96 0.79
1.47 0.81 0.91
0.71 -0.20 1.39 -0.21 -0.27 0.16
0.24 1.13
between the forced-union states and the right-to-work states, as it relates to economic vitality,” Mix says. It’s not clear yet how many new
states are likely to adopt right-to-work measures in 2015. But the fact that the proposal has found its way onto so many legislative calendars is wor- risome for unions. Twenty-four states already have passed such bills. The statutes forbid employer-union
contracts that require union member- ship and/or mandatory payment of dues as a condition of employment. Proponents of the laws say workers should be free to opt out of union membership and dues. Union supporters disparage them
as “right-to-work-for-less” laws. They argue the statutes represent a legisla- tive intrusion into a private business agreement between an employer and collective bargaining. Prospects for passing right to work
look brighter in the wake of the 2014 midterms. Republicans in Novem- ber took control of both chambers of the legislatures in West Virginia and Nevada. They captured the state Senate in Colorado. And they seized House chambers in Maine, Minneso- ta, New Mexico, and New Hampshire. That many states now considering
right to work saw legislative control fl ip to Republicans in November is no coincidence. A case in point is New Mexico, where Republicans won con- trol of the state House for the fi rst time in 60 years. Newly re-elected GOP Gov. Susana Martinez, frequently
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