The Not-so-Simple Economics of Right to Work Laws

There was much hand wringing and an equal amount of triumphant cheering last month, when Michigan became the twenty-fourth state to adopt a right to work (RTW) law. It joined Indiana, which went RTW last February, as only the second major industrial state with such a policy. Much of the commentary portrayed the spread of RTW as a victory for corporate power over working America, but do we really know what the effects will be? The rhetoric surrounding the passage of Michigan’s law has shed more heat than light on the matter. A less impassioned review of the issues suggests that the effects of RTW on labor markets are not as simple as supporters and opponents make them out to be. >>>Read more