For nearly 80 years, Arizona has been a right-to-work state. Thanks to Article 25 of our state’s constitution and state statute, Arizona workers have been protected from compulsory union membership as a condition of employment. Said another way: under current law, Arizonans can pursue careers without being forced to pay union dues.

But there is an initiative petition being circulated that would remove this important worker protection from our state constitution.

If this initiative passes, Arizonans will see fewer jobs, slashed paychecks, and less competition. In fact, according to one estimate, repealing our state’s right-to-work protections would impose anywhere between $15-$18 billion of additional costs on Arizona companies.

As one employee recently wrote in the Arizona Central:

“If the Arizona Works Together initiative passes, repealing the amendment, I will have to part with up to 2% of my income for dues. This is coercion. What if I choose to not join the union? What if I prefer my current working conditions or disagree with a union initiative? I would still have to pay.”

With many small business owners struggling against economic headwinds and a challenging labor environment, there’s little doubt that repealing our state’s right-to-work status will make it more difficult to do business in Arizona.

NFIB Arizona will continue to monitor initiatives that would undermine the employer-employee relationship and fight on behalf of small business owners across the state.