Most of us are aware that there will likely be a citizen-initiated ballot measure to enshrine the right to an abortion in the AZ constitution, known as the Arizona Abortion Access Act. And we are doing everything in our power to make sure this initiative passes!
But that isn’t the only ballot initiative to pay attention to this election cycle. One of the other important citizen initiatives that may appear on the 2024 ballot is known as the Arizona Works Together Act. The essence of this initiative is that it would repeal the “Right to Work” law in the AZ Constitution that prevents employees from being required to join a union.
As background, the federal labor relations act of 1935 states that all workers must be covered by bargaining agreements, even if they are not paying union members. And the labor management relations act of 1947 allows for “right-to-work” laws, which state that workers cannot legally be required to pay union dues.
Possibly because of the term “right-to-work”, there is a lot of confusion around these laws, even among candidates running for office. “Right-to-Work” is actually 1984 doublespeak. The public-facing goal is to protect workers by saving them money because these laws stop unions from being able to collect dues from the workers who enjoy union protections and union representation. Right-to-work laws don’t stop unions from being able to exist, but they make the paying of union dues or for union representation an optional and voluntary action by workers. The underlying goal of “Right-to-Work” laws is to hamstring unions and make it so they have less funds (and therefore power) to negotiate for better pay and working conditions.
What do unions do for workers? In addition to bargaining for higher salaries, they bargain for safe working conditions, benefits such as healthcare and days off, and they represent workers if a grievance arises. In a state with a “Right-to-Work” law, even if a worker doesn’t pay union dues, they still get the benefits of union coverage, if a union is formed. One might think that if a group of workers vote to form a union, people would voluntarily pay their union dues, but there is always someone (or multiple someones) who want the free ride.
Unfortunately, less money = less power. The fact that “Right-to-Work” laws are strongly favored by corporations/employers should be enough of a clue to the overall outcome of these laws, which is economic inequality. When states enact “Right-to-Work” laws, both unionization and wages decline within the first 5 years. In “Right-to-Work” states like AZ, wages are 3.1-7.5% less and workers have reduced amounts of health insurance and less robust pension plans compared to states without these laws. Yet, there is not necessarily a related increase in the number of jobs offered.
In states without a “Right-to-Work” law, wages are higher. The three states with the highest union dues have some of the highest median wages. Of the ten states/district with the highest median income (MD, DC, MA, NJ, UT, HI, CT, MN, CO, AK), only Utah is a ‘right-to-work’ state.
And which types of jobs are impacted the most? Construction, education, and public administration. The effect of these “Right-to-Work” laws on wages tend to be greater for women compared to men. Also, consider that without a ‘“Right-to-Work” law, it would be easier for AZ teachers to negotiate for higher wages and a strong pension plan.
If the AZ Works Together initiative gets enough signatures to be on the ballot in 2024, we will be advocating for it to pass, so that unions will have more funding and more power in AZ.
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