The ideals of an open society require the protection of freedom of choice in personal, political and economic relationships. Federal policies that force employees to pay dues or fees to a union as a condition of employment directly restrict the individual employee’s economic freedom. And their effective scope is actually much wider.

Union officials and the union bureaucracy routinely spend compulsory dues and fees to advance political and ideological causes that are at odds with the views of roughly 40% or more of forced-dues paying employees. Right to Work laws address such conflicts between individuals and unions by assuring individuals the right to decide for themselves whether or not to join or financially support a union.

Besides protecting personal freedom, Right to Work laws have a significant impact on business and economic behavior. No one seriously contests the fact that private-sector business and job growth are far more rapid in Right to Work states than in non-Right to Work states.

Right to Work laws are strongly correlated with faster growth in jobs, aggregate real personal income, and access to private health insurance, as well as other social benefits. While it is difficult to quantify the exact extent to which Right to Work laws are responsible for such trends, Right to Work laws alone are excellent predictors of “overall business climate favorability.”