Learn About the U.S. > Work and Workplaces in the U.S. > Labor Unions > Right-to-Work Laws

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Labor Unions
- U.S. Labor Unions in the 1940s
- U.S. Unions in the Cold War
- Public worker unions in the United States
- Decline in Strike Activity in the US
- Union Membership Across the United States
- Right-to-Work Laws
- Types of Unions in the United States
- The AFL-CIO
- Labor Contracts in the United States
- Strikes in the United States
- What Happens During a Strike
- Long Strikes and Violence
- The 1964 Civil Rights Act
- Union Campaign Contributions and Political Influence
- Unions and Politics
- U.S. Unions in the 90s and Today
- Important U.S. Labor Leaders: George Meany
- Important U.S. Labor Leaders: John L. Lewis
- Important U.S. Labor Leaders: Walter Reuther
- Important U.S. Labor Leaders: A. Philip Randolph
- Important U.S. Labor Leaders: Jimmy Hoffa
- Important U.S. Labor Leaders: Caesar Chavez
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A young boy at a labor protest holds a sign showing his feeling on right to work laws.
Photo Courtesy of Bob Wood/International Association of Machinists.
Right-to-Work Laws
States with right-to-work laws have the lowest rate of union membership. Right-to-work laws mean that workers are not required to join a union after they are hired by a company. They have the choice to join or not. Companies that hire workers under right-to-work laws are called open shops. Workers save money by not joining a union because they do not have to pay union dues. On the other hand, wages are usually lower in open shops than they are in union shops. Labor unions in open shops are much weaker than labor unions in states with union shops. The lure of lower wages has prompted many companies to relocate from states that have union shops to states that have right-to-work laws. Click on Maps below for additional information on Right-to-Work Laws.
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Special Terms:
right-to-work laws
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rate of union membership
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open shops
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union shops
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