About New England Citizens for Right to Work

New England Citizens for Right to Work (NECRTW) is the largest single-issue advocacy organization dedicated to combatting the many wrongs of forced unionism across New England.

From humble beginnings in 1977, NECRTW has grown into a coalition of tens of thousands of workers, small business owners, and freedom-loving New Englanders from all walks of life -- united by the simple belief that no one should be forced to join or pay dues to a labor union in order to get or keep a job.

New England Citizens for Right to Work is, above all, a grassroots organization. That's why we start by identifying fellow Right to Work supporters -- and because polling consistently demonstrates that three-quarters of voters support Right to Work, there's plenty of us out there.

We then work to educate those Right to Work supporters on the benefits and importance of Right to Work, raising the profile of the issue and equipping them to help make a difference. When key opportunities present themselves, we mobilize those Right to Work supporters to take action, when and where it will make the biggest difference.

New England Citizens for Right to Work seeks to have state Right to Work bills introduced in key legislative bodies. When that happens, we'll try to help legislators understand Right to Work by sending information to their offices, testifying before committees, and lobbying by NECRTW staff and activists in a variety of other ways. Simultaneously, we'll engage in a broad-based education campaign across the state to help the public understand the issue while recruiting more members and supporters to the cause. 

Most importantly though, we'll engage our membership -- letting them know exactly what's going on, and providing opportunities for folks to contact their own legislators in support of Right to Work directly.

During election season, NECRTW staff and activists work to educate candidates about Right to Work, addressing whatever questions and concerns may come up. We then send Candidate Surveys to everyone running for a relevant office, asking them to take a public stand on the issue. 

Finally, we publish Candidate Survey results -- along with voting records and any other relevant information -- to New England Citizens for Right to Work members, supporters, and pro-Right to Work voters in the district. These publications encourage Right to Work supporters to reach out to their local candidates, and: 

• Thank the candidate for taking a stand in opposition to forced unionism, if they returned their survey pro-Right to Work;

• Encourage the candidate to return survey, if they have not yet done so; and/or

• Insist the candidate renounce forced unionism, if they are publicly anti-Right to Work.

Pro-Right to Work voters are provided with periodic updates to these Candidate Survey results, ensuring they have the most-current information with which to contact their candidates.

Although state Right to Work bills are our flagship legislation, also engages with other aspects of public policy that are directly related to forced unionism. For example:

• Support for "Project Labor Agreement" (PLA) bans. Unscrupulous politicians will sometimes use PLAs to prevent companies from bidding or working on state-funded projects unless their employees are subject to a labor union. PLAs are designed to corral more workers into forced unionism, and the reduced competition inevitably leads to more government spending and higher taxes. New England Citizens for Right to Work believes that qualified companies should be free to bid on state construction projects, regardless of whether or not their employees pay dues to a union boss.

• Opposition to legislation designed to circumvent the Janus decision. In the US Supreme Court's 2018 Janus v. AFSCME decision, forced dues in the public sector were found unconstitutional under the First Amendment of the US Constitution. Since then, union officials have advanced multiple schemes to maintain their power over workers and governments -- ranging from setting arbitrary resignation windows, to requiring non-union workers to pay “fees” for using mandatory union-created grievance processes, to direct taxpayer subsidies of union bosses. New England Citizens for Right to Work stands against any attempts to diminish public-sector Janus rights. 

New England Citizens for Right to Work ultimately seeks to free all New Englanders from compulsory unionism, but has a special focus on New Hampshire, where we are based. Right to Work is a natural fit for residents of the "Live Free or Die" state, so it shouldn't be surprising that New Hampshire has seen major advances over recent years.

NECRTW works closely with the National Right to Work Committee and other Right to Work supporters in the fight to end forced unionism.

How You Can Help

•  Join NECRTW. New England Citizens for Right to Work is made up of people just like you. Together, we can change the political environment and make real progress towards ending forced unionism. If you aren't already involved, please consider today.

• Contribute to NECRTW. New England Citizens for Right to Work runs entirely on voluntary contributions -- no forced dues, and no government subsidies. Your contribution will be put to work as efficiently and effectively as possible.