This Labor Day we celebrate the men and women whose hard work keeps the country running. But in Hawaiʻi, many of those same workers face a real threat: pay union dues or lose their jobs.
That’s because Hawaiʻi is one of the minority of states that lacks a Right to Work law. Right to Work laws ensure union membership and financial support are fully voluntary, meaning workers are free to join and pay dues to a union if they choose, but it cannot be mandatory.
In contrast, an employee in Hawaiʻi may oppose unionization, but still can be fired if they refuse to fund the union.
If you think this sounds unjust, you’re in good company. For years polls have consistently shown that 8 in 10 Americans believe union membership and dues payment should be strictly voluntary.
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Those who see unions up close every day agree too. In a national poll conducted before the 2024 election, 79% of current union members said they agreed with the statement: “Workers should never be forced to join a union or pay dues to a union as a condition of employment.”
Fortunately, state employees in Hawaiʻi and across the country have enjoyed Right to Work protections since the 2018 Janus v. AFSCME U.S. Supreme Court decision. In that case, the high court ruled in favor of Mark Janus and...
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