Right to Work economies are recovering faster from COVID, here's why

The COVID-19 pandemic rattled the U.S. economy. Lockdowns shuttered businesses across the country, and millions of Americans were left out of work. Now, as the nation seeks to rebound from the economic effects, some states are having an easier time getting back up to speed and labor laws are part of the reason. 

States with Right to Work laws have done especially well in the post-pandemic economic recovery.

Right to Work laws prevent workers from being forced to pay dues to a union as a condition of employment. Anyone can join a union if they choose, but they can’t be fired for refusing to pay dues to a union they don’t want to join.

It’s a common sense principle supported by 8 in 10 Americans but because Big Labor spends billions of dollars on political lobbying, 23 states still allow union officials to extract money from workers’ paychecks without their consent.

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The 27 Right to Work states that don’t allow forced union dues have far better job growth. In the decade since 2010, the total number of people employed in Right to Work states grew at more than quadruple the rate of forced unionism states, according to an analysis from the National Institute for Labor Relations Research (NILRR).

That’s no surprise. After all, people want to work in states where they can’t be forced to join a union they don’t like, and businesses want to relocate in states where their employees won’t be bullied by union bosses to pay up or be fired.

Right to Work makes for a faster growing, more resilient economy.

And so, a year after the COVID-19-induced economic slump hit its lowest point in April 2020, Right to Work states led the way in getting jobs back on track. In Right to Work states, the number of manufacturing payroll employees had rebounded 10.1 percent just one year after its 2020 lows, a bump 63 percent greater than what forced-unionism states experienced, according to Labor Department statistics from July.

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It’s another clear indication that Right to Work makes for a faster growing, more resilient economy.

Of course, state governments also played a role in speeding up – or slowing down – the return to some kind of normalcy. To have a well-functioning state government, it’s better if self-serving union bosses aren’t calling the shots.

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As the pandemic abated, in states where union bosses have enough political influence to keep popular Right to Work laws from passing, they also had the leverage to extend COVID-19 lockdowns well past the point when they were scientifically justified.

Teachers unions fought tooth and nail to keep students out of the classroom, making life harder for working families. They didn’t just ignore science that suggested children are far less likely to spread COVID-19, they pushed to rewrite scientific guidelines to fit their agenda.

States hostile to Right to Work stay that way because union bosses have the power to manipulate government policy for their own gain.

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That’s why Right to Work state governments run better. Forced unionism states have over $7,600 more in unfunded pension liabilities per capita than Right to Work states. That means a smaller future tax burden on working families in Right to Work states. 

Right to Work laws aren’t just great for workers – who are protected from being forced to pay dues to a union boss as a condition of employment – they’re also great for the economy.

Freedom and jobs: What’s not to like about that?

Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Committee.