Misdirection and Misrepresentation: Big Labor’s Campaign Against an Indiana Right to Work Law

A recent paper by Jeff Vincent, research director of the Division of
Labor Studies at Indiana University, grossly misrepresents the facts
about Right to Work laws and the economic and moral arguments
that have been made in support of enacting such a law in Indiana.

In seeking to undermine the powerful economic case for an Indiana
Right to Work law, Vincent ignores the uncontroversial fact that
living costs, both pre-tax and after-tax, are significantly lower in
Right to Work states. Analyses from varied sources that account for
living costs indicate that real earnings, household incomes, and
disposable incomes are higher in Right to Work states than in non-
Right to Work states. Data in a study by two U.S. Census Bureau
researchers show that the aggregate real poverty rate is lower in
Right to Work states than in non-Right to Work states.

Another key problem with Vincent’s paper is that it downplays,
almost to the point of ignoring altogether, the importance of
economic dynamism in assessing business climate. By his bizarre
assessment, it is the very non-Right to Work states that are
suffering the biggest net losses of young job-seekers to outmigration
to Right to Work states that have the best “business
climates†in America.

Finally, Vincent’s critique of the moral case for Right to Work laws
ignores the fact that all Right to Work proponents seek is equal
treatment under the law for employees who favor and employees
who oppose unionization. Vincent apparently believes opponents
of unionization deserve less freedom than proponents.