Abstract
This article provides a brief introduction to the ongoing controversy concerning right-to-work (RTW) legislation in the United
States. The paper proceeds with the outlining of the major ideological arguments in favor of and in opposition to RTW laws
before presenting the taste, free rider and bargaining power hypotheses which has motivated research concerning the economic
effects of RTW laws. After reporting the findings of some of the basic empirical research designed to test these hypotheses
as well as other recent studies, the article concludes that RTW laws have, at a minimum, moderately reduced the scope of unionization
as well as the number of union members over the long-run. This indicates that the presence or absence of RTW legislation is
not merely a symbolic fight as some have maintained but is something that has real consequences for the trade union movement’s
future in the United States in the early 21st century.
States. The paper proceeds with the outlining of the major ideological arguments in favor of and in opposition to RTW laws
before presenting the taste, free rider and bargaining power hypotheses which has motivated research concerning the economic
effects of RTW laws. After reporting the findings of some of the basic empirical research designed to test these hypotheses
as well as other recent studies, the article concludes that RTW laws have, at a minimum, moderately reduced the scope of unionization
as well as the number of union members over the long-run. This indicates that the presence or absence of RTW legislation is
not merely a symbolic fight as some have maintained but is something that has real consequences for the trade union movement’s
future in the United States in the early 21st century.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-7
- DOI 10.1007/s10672-011-9185-z
- Authors
- Victor G. Devinatz, Department of Management and Quantitative Methods, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-5580, USA
- Journal Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal
- Online ISSN 1573-3378
- Print ISSN 0892-7545