Right to Work Laws

Unlike the name suggests, it doesn’t mean you are guaranteed a job or will be given any freedom in your work place that you don’t already have. Right to Work laws are designed to accomplish two things:

1. Right to Work allows workers to opt out of being a union member even though you already have this right in any state regardless if it’s a Right to Work state or not.

2. Right to Work laws also ensure that the union is legally required to provide all services, benefits and representation to those that don’t pay for them, just like they were a full dues-paying member.

Right to Work is a tactic used to eliminate the strength and longevity of Labor Unions by forcing union members to stop paying dues. The long-term effects of Right to Work on Labor Unions is devastating since most Unions do not survive trying to provide the same quality of services and benefits to workers for free.

Minnesota is currently NOT a Right to Work state, however Minnesota is currently surrounded by Right to Work states such as North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

The Union doesn’t have the resources to enforce or defend our contracts – which means employers might ignore the contract requirements for pay, for benefits, and work rules.

Some employers will move to get out of our benefit funds, lower wages, and get out of our agreements if they sense the Union has no resources to push back.

When the Union loses resources that allow us to supply skilled workers and training to employers – this hurts employers too, and hurts our ability to provide value to them.

If we lose employers, that means we lose money going into our pension and health funds – eventually those benefit funds will collapse and we could lose them.

Your voice on the job will be diminished. Evidence shows that in Right to Work states,  employees work harder, are paid less for their skills, and are more likely to find themselves working in unsafe conditions and work environments.