With Republicans in control of both houses of Congress, prospects for the passage later this year of what is officially called the National Right to Work Act appear promising.
As introduced by Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul, the bill is designed to ensure that “workers have the ability to choose to refrain from joining or paying dues to a union as a condition for employment.”
Paul noted that to date 26 states have passed similar legislation, adding: “It’s time for the federal government to follow their lead.”
The effort comes nearly 80 years after passage of the landmark Taft-Hartley Act which greatly restricted such union acts as secondary boycotts and jurisdictional strikes. That legislation has remained intact through the decades, despite periodic attempts to repeal it.
Paul’s bill, which has won the backing of the Associated Builders and Contractors, calls for getting rid of the “automatic-dues clauses” in federal law. [“Sen. Paul, Rep. Wilson Reintroduce National Right-to-Work Legislation,” Associated Builders and Contractors website, February 19, 2025].
The measure comes in the wake of public opinion polls that continue to show strong support for the existence of labor unions. [“Service Employees Labor Group Joins Forces with AFL-CIO,” Charlotte Observer, January 10, 2025].
At the same time, according to a Rasmussen Media Group survey released last summer, 82% of respondents agreed that “workers should never be forced to join a union or pay dues to a union as a condition of employment.” [“We Need a National Right to Work Act, Making Payments to Unions Voluntary,” The Hill, September 2, 2024].
That sentiment was perhaps surprisingly shared in the survey by union members, with 79% in that group expressing opposition to having to join a union to get a job.
A different perspective has been offered by the Washington-based Economic Policy Institute which several months ago published an essay contending that workers in states with right to work laws “have lower wages, reduced access to health and retirement benefits, and higher workplace fatality rates.” [“Data Shows Anti-Union ‘Right-to-Work’ Laws Damage State Economies,” Working Economics Blog, February 13, 2024].
Paul’s bill is currently under review in the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
February 27, 20215
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of Office of United States Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky
