The Effect of Right-to-Work Laws on Economic Development

The right to decide for yourself whether or not to support a union in your workplace: union officials dismiss it as "the right to starve", but for the last thirty years Right-to-Work states have been outperforming compuslory unionism states such as Michigan. This report demonstrates how individual freedom and higher productivity give workers in Right-to-Work states the edge in job opportunities, employment, and purchasing power.

Contents

• Executive Summary
• I. Introduction
• II. The Nature of the Right-to-Work Debate
• III. Literature Review
• IV. RTW vs. Non-RTW: The Regional Breakdown
  • Table 1
  • Chart 1
• V. The Influence of Globalization
  • Chart 2
• VI. Comparative Analysis of Economic Performance
  • A. Gross State Product (GSP)
    • Chart 3
  • B. Payroll Employment Growth
    • Chart 4
  • C. Manufacturing Employment Growth
    • Chart 5
    • Chart 6
  • D. Construction Employment Growth
    • Chart 7
  • E. Unemployment Rate
    • Chart 8
  • F. Per-Capita Disposable Income Growth
    • Chart 9
    • Chart 10
  • G. Unit Labor Costs
    • Chart 11
  • H. Poverty Rate
    • Chart 12
  • I. Income Inequality
    • Chart 13
• VII. Conclusion
  • Table 2
• NOTES
• APPENDIX I
  • Table I
  • Table II
  • Table III
  • Table IV
  • Table V
  • Table VI
  • Table VII
  • Table VIII
  • Table IX
• APPENDIX II
• APPENDIX III
• REFERENCES