In the United States, so-called Right-To-Work (for less) Laws are Anti-Union State policies promoted by Big Business interests to weaken Unions and limit Workers’ bargaining power.

Despite the name, Right-To-Work (RTW) Laws do not provide any sort of job protection or right to a job.

Rather, they deceptively named policy starves Unions of resources, making it harder for them to negotiate collectively for better wages, benefits and working conditions.

Key takeaways from a new Economic Policy Institute (EPI) report include:

RTW Laws undermine Workers’ ability to form Unions. Unionization rates are clearly lower in RTW States - and since Unions raise wages, that suppression lowers pay.   

States with RTW Laws are also more likely to have other Anti-Worker Laws and generally weaker Labor Standards. This is likely because both RTW and other Anti-Worker policies stem from the same Anti-Worker political roots, and because RTW’s suppression of Unions deprives these States of strong potential political champions for other Pro-Worker policies.  

Non-RTW States are more likely to have Pro-Worker policies like higher minimum wages and Prevailing Wage Laws, restrictions on non-compete agreements, pay transparency policies, and more protective Unemployment Insurance Benefits. 

As a result, Workers in RTW States are paid 6.7% less on average than workers in non-RTW States - more than double the 3.2% wage penalty found in 2015.

That means the RTW wage penalty has increased in recent years and now translates to over $4,000 less per year for a median full-time Worker in a RTW state.

The RTW wage penalty is steeper for Women (7.3%) than for Men (6.3%), and for Black (9.7%) and Hispanic Workers (10.0%) than for White Workers (5.4%).   

Lawmakers already have the policy tools they need to boost wages and improve other outcomes for Workers, including: At the State level, rolling back existing RTW Laws is the most powerful lever; At the Federal level, the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (which includes a ban on RTW) would be transformational for efforts to organize Workers and Policymakers could also make progress on numerous other fronts, such as making UI systems more protective and raising minimum wages. 

To Continue Reading This Labor News Report, Go To: Wages are lower in “right-to-work” states: These states have lower unionization rates and more anti-worker policies | Economic Policy Institute