Freedom of Choice, Business Climates, and Right to Work Laws

The ideals of an open society require the protection of freedom of
choice in personal, political and economic relationships. Federal
policies that force employees to pay dues or fees to a union as a
condition of employment directly restrict the individual employee’s
economic freedom. And their effective scope is actually much
wider.

Union officials and the union bureaucracy routinely spend
compulsory dues and fees to advance political and ideological
causes that are at odds with the views of roughly 40% or more of
forced-dues paying employees. Right to Work laws address such
conflicts between individuals and unions by assuring individuals the
right to decide for themselves whether or not to join or financially
support a union.

Besides protecting personal freedom, Right to Work laws have a
significant impact on business and economic behavior. No one
seriously contests the fact that private-sector business and job
growth are far more rapid in Right to Work states than in non-Right
to Work states.

Right to Work laws are strongly correlated with faster growth in
jobs, aggregate real personal income, and access to private health
insurance, as well as other social benefits. While it is difficult to
quantify the exact extent to which Right to Work laws are
responsible for such trends, Right to Work laws alone are excellent
predictors of “overall business climate favorability.â€