‘You Can’t Even Pay Companies to Invest There’

In 2021, 2022 and 2023 combined, according to data compiled by the U.S. Labor Department, manufacturing employment in the 27 Right to Work states combined (including Michigan, where a Big Labor-instigated reinstatement of forced unionism did not take effect until this year) rose by 518,000.

In absolute terms, that’s nearly double the overall factory-job increase for the states where firing employees simply for refusal to pay union dues or fees was still permitted.

Viewed over longer periods, the economic contrast between Right to Work and compulsory-unionism states is even more stark.

For example, from 2013-23, the 24 states that had Right to Work protections for the entire decade saw a total increase of 12.3% in private-sector manufacturing employment. That represents a gain of 682,000 jobs.

Meanwhile, manufacturing employment in the 23 states that lacked Right to Work protections for the entire decade saw an overall percentage gain of just 2.5%.

NATIONAL RIGHT TO WORK COMMITTEE