Let’s Look at the Issues

In the last two years two additional states in the U.S. have adopted so-called “right-to-work” laws, and right now there is similar legislation on the table in Pennsylvania and Oregon. Since there are now 24 “right-to-work” states, the addition of those two states would put right-to-work states in the majority in our country.

Under right-to-work laws unions are severely weakened financially. This impacts their ability to adequately represent their members and to be meaningful participants in the political arena and the legislative process.
The impact of right to work laws is drastic. The proof of this is in statistics provided by the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Department of Labor and many independent and university-affiliated study groups. As an example, Politico Magazine recently released a ranking of all 50 states based on a combination of 14 different measures of quality of life. These factors included crime statistics, high school graduation rates, infant mortality, per capita income, educational spending, life expectancy and family medical insurance. The outcome of this ranking was not surprising. It showed that right-to-work states are clearly doing worse than free-bargaining states.

A full 80 percent of the best states to live in are free-bargaining states. At the same time, right-to-work states accounted for 80% of the worst states in which to live. In fact, all five of the five worst states in which to live were right to work states (Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi). In addition, almost every single state in the bottom 20 ranking of all 50 states is a right to work state. That says a lot.
The differences between right-to-work and free-bargaining states are staggering. Workers in free-bargaining states earn $5,538 a year more than workers in right-to-work states. Weekly wages are $106 greater in free-bargaining states than in right-to-work states. Median household income in free-bargaining states is $6,184 more than in right-to-work states. Yes, the undeniable truth is that working families in states without right-to-work laws have higher wages and benefits, as well as healthier tax bases that improve their quality of life.

Here’s another difference. Almost one third of the jobs in right-to-work states are in low wage occupations — jobs that bring in less than the amount needed to bring a family of four above the poverty level. Low wage occupations make up less than 20 percent of the jobs in states that do not have right-to-work laws.

The studies also show that people in right-to-work states are much more likely to be uninsured than people in free-bargaining states. Also, uninsured rates rose faster between 2000 and 2010 in right to work states, indeed almost twice as fast! As one would expect, this even has an impact on those who are too young to work. Children in right-to-work states are far more likely to be without any health coverage than children in free bargaining states.

There’s more. Poverty rates are higher in right-to-work states than in free bargaining states. One in five adults and one in four children live at or below the poverty level in right-to-work states. This translates into real tragedy, as infant mortality is 16 percent higher in right-to-work states than it is in free-bargaining states.

If those facts aren’t enough to see why strong unions matter, consider these statistics: Right-to-work states spend almost $3,000 less per pupil on elementary and secondary education than free-bargaining states. You can guess the results of this disparity: students in right-to-work states are far less likely to be at grade level in math and reading than in free-bargaining states, and, yes, this also means that residents of right-to-work states are less likely to have high school diplomas and college degrees.

Working in a right-to-work state can be dangerous, too. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the rate of workplace deaths is 52.9% higher in states with right-to-work laws! You should also know that worker safety net programs like Workers’ Compensation and Unemployment Insurance are far more generous in free-bargaining states than in right-to-work states. And while all people are hurt by right-to-work laws, statistics show that the devastating impact of these anti-union statutes is even worse for women and people of color.

The stark difference between the quality of life in right-to-work states and free-bargaining states tells us that workers and their families are severely hurt when unions are weakened, and so are entire communities. The lesson here for union members is this: Keep your union strong!