Missouri Right to Work Would Bring More Jobs


Investors Business Daily explores the economic growth potential for the Show Me state if the legislature passes a Right to Work law this week.  The editorial appears in Investors.com.

Missouri state flag

Missouri’s legislature votes this week on whether to become a right-to-work state. More hiring is the goal, and if any state needs a jobs pick-me-up, it’s the Show Me State.

Missouri lost 24,000 jobs in 2009, 2010 and 2011, even as many surrounding states gained employment.

Many workers select not to join a union because they personally object to the political advocacy of the AFL-CIO and other affiliated unions. By the way, Oklahoma, which is a right-to-work state, produced more union jobs (21,000) than nonright-to-work Missouri (-51,000) in 2011 and 2012.

Many business managers and corporate CEOs who decide where to locate new plants and facilities say they don’t even consider moving to states that do not have right-to-work protection.

Almost all the evidence suggests that right-to-work states produce substantially more jobs than states with forced union policies. According to a report by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), hiring increased 6.8% in right-to-work states between 2002 and 2012, while the 27 nonright-to-work states grew jobs by only 1.9%, or one-third as fast.

The Missouri law would have to be approved by voters in the November election. We hope that Missouri lawmakers and citizens have the sense to approve this pro-growth measure and that this movement spreads to the states that still compel workers to join unions against their will.

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