Right-to-Work…What Does it Mean?

1/24/2014 10:51:00 AM

Right-to-work means that you have a right to work at an establishment without being forced to join or financially support the labor union. Pennsylvania is not a right-to-work state. Therefore, if a collective bargaining unit (or union) forges an “agency shop” (better known as union shop) agreement with the employer, the union can then force employees who have opted to not join the union to pay them an annual fee, also known in law as “fair share fee.”

Being a right-to-work state not only allows an employee to choose to join or abstain from union membership if that union is not adequately serving them, but also allows for greater economic growth, which in turn will help increase funding to our educational system. Data shows that companies are more drawn to right-to-work states when building and relocating their facilities.

From time to time members ask why we have not been able to get this law overturned and our answer, put very simply, is that we are at the wrong end of the money stick. And, until the legislators that are opposed to this positive reform begin to put what’s right and ethical for their constituents and the economic growth of our Commonwealth before the status quo, nothing is going to change.