On Tuesday, April 12, state lawmakers and a broad coalition of organizations gathered at the Capitol in Harrisburg to show support for right-to-work legislation in Pennsylvania. West Virginia recently became the 26th right-to-work state, meaning there currently a minority of states with compulsory union membership laws.
NFIB Pennsylvania’s Legislative Director, Neal Lesher, spoke at the news conference, explaining that passing right-to-work laws will make the Commonwealth a more attractive place to start or relocate a business. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, between 2004 and 2014, private sector job growth in states that have compulsory union membership laws decreased by 9.9 percent. In right-to-work states, private sector job growth rose by 5.5 percent.
Currently in Pennsylvania, at least 660,000 workers are required to join a union and pay dues as a condition of employment.
