1. What do Right to Work laws mean? What are the benefits? What are the drawbacks? Does the state of Louisiana have a Right to Work law? What are your personal opinions on RTW?

@ Print Download Right To Work Laws One controversial issue within the purview of labor relations is that of so-called 'right to work' laws... Unions & Right To Work Laws Under the traditional NLRA paradigm, if a union was voted into a work environment, it maintained the right to collect dues from all employees (through payroll deductions) for the purposes of funding its efforts and activities. Employees are in no way obligated to support a union through their words or actions, or to participate in union activities in any way. However, employees are normally required to pay dues that the union has negotiated as part of its contract with the employer. These right to work laws require that each employee be given a choice not only as to whether they wish to join a union, but also as to whether they wish to pay any dues. At first, right to work laws sound entirely fair and in the best interest of the employees. Even the name -- 'right to work' -- suggests that the purpose of such laws is to promote worker rights (Collins, 2014). Yet sadly the reality of right to work laws is far from what the name implies. Right to work laws actually originated as the product of corporate lobbying, and they remain strongly supported by many corporations. They are a strategy for destroying the power of unions, and they have been quite successful in this endeavor. Despite the fact that right to work laws appear to be benefit workers, the reality is that when workers are given a choice to contribute financially to a union, they are very unlikely to do so. Imagine if U.S. citizens were given the option to pay or not pay taxes. Itis very likely that many, if not most, individuals would elect to keep their money, particularly given negative perceptions about the ways in which tax revenues are allocated. However, once the majority of individuals stop paying taxes, American infrastructure would collapse. Those same individuals might reconsider their decisions, albeit too late. An employee might fail to realize the benefits that a union brings if they haven't had a direct need for its services. Removing the requirement to pay union dues ultimately puts unions in a position where they cannot financially sustain their activities or support their members. Although only about half of the states currently have right to work laws, these states, unsurprisingly, tend to be some of the most industry-heavy regions of the country, and as a result, these laws have dramatically reduced the presence and effectiveness of unions throughout the United States