New England Citizens
for Right to Work

The Problem: Forced Unionism

Today across New England, more than half a million workers are forced to pay tribute to a union boss as a condition of employment. That's hundreds of millions of dollars every year, forcibly taken out of the pockets of working families, who are all-too-often already struggling to make ends meet. Instead of being able to use their hard-earned wages to put food on the table, they're compelled to hand it over to a labor union, whether they like it or not.

Workers can be -- and regularly are -- forced to pay, or fired, even if:

• They don't want to join the union or to be represented by the union

• They had their job long before the union "organized" the workplace

• They disagree with the union's bargaining strategies

• They are actively harmed by the union's workplace priorities

• They have a sincere religious objection to the union's activities

• They are personally bullied or harassed by their local union boss

• They are strongly opposed to the union's political operations

• They are personally offended by the speech they're being forced to fund

As polls consistently show the overwhelming majority of people agree, that's just plain wrong. Labor unions should be treated much like any other private organization -- where decisions to join or support them are left to each individual's conscience, rather than forced upon them by government mandate.

Furthermore, forced unionism is a major drag on the New England economy. Big Labor’s wasteful work rules, job featherbedding, and union-label hate-the-boss mentality have destroyed millions of good paying jobs, and prevented even more that could have been. Stunted job growth means that cost-of-living-adjusted income has stagnated, and New England youth are increasingly chasing high-paying jobs elsewhere. Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont are some of the fastest-aging states in the nation, a trend that fundamentally isn't sustainable.

And, unfortunately, it's an even bigger problem. As you might expect, when union bosses can force people to pay them, they don't have to worry as much about the actual wants and needs of the workers they claim to represent. Instead, they can enjoy a limousine lifestyle for themselves, and prioritize the pursuit of even more power.

Big Labor has built a massive forced-dues-funded political machine -- to the tune of literally billions of dollars a year. That machine has had a corrupting influence on every level of government, with profoundly far-reaching consequences. New England taxpayers bear the brunt of forced unionism in the form of fewer jobs, higher taxes, and worse public services. At the end of the day, virtually everyone living in New England is significantly impacted, and significantly harmed, by forced unionism.

The Solution: Right to Work

The good news is that states can end forced unionism and solve these problems by passing state Right to Work laws.

Ever since FDR's New Deal, most aspects of labor policy have been dominated by the federal government. In fact, it was 1935's National Labor Relations Act that first imposed forced unionism on the country. Since then, states haven't had many labor policy options available to them, especially when it comes to the private sector. 

However, thanks to Section 14-B of 1947's Taft-Hartley Act, states are specifically authorized to 'opt out' of this federal imposition of forced dues. This restores the right to work without being forced to pay a union boss in the state, and so is called a Right to Work law.

Right to Work laws are typically short, straightforward pieces of legislation. They simply establish that each individual worker has the right to join, fund, or otherwise associate with a labor union -- and, just as importantly, the right not to.

Most states have passed Right to Work laws since then, and are reaping the benefits. Unfortunately, New England is the only region in the country that doesn't have a single Right to Work law... yet.

We're trying to change that, and we could use your help!