With the swipe of a pen held by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan on Friday became the first state to repeal a right-to-work law in over 60 years. That's unfortunate not just for the workers who have lost their choice about whether to associate with a union, but also for the state economy. Michigan will be a less prosperous state without right-to-work, and its workers will be less free.
Right-to-work is a simple policy. At its core, right-to-work is about choice. For private sector workers, the National Labor Relations Act establishes rules for what happens when union membership is mandatory. Once a union is recognized, it speaks for all employees within the bargaining unit. An employer must bargain with that union, and only with that union, to set the terms and conditions that will govern the workplace. Employees who do not wish to associate with the union have no choice but to accept its representation and terms of the contract it negotiates. They cannot negotiate for themselves.
Right-to-work restores some voice to dissenting workers by allowing them to keep their jobs without being forced to pay a union "agency fees." Agency fees are a portion of dues, which workers must pay to a union for its representational activities. Typically, these fees are 70 percent to 80 percent of the dues payment. In states without right-to-work protections, workers who do not want the union to speak for them can be forced to pay these fees. Right-to-work gives these workers a...
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