Probably A Dumb Question Regarding Unions & Right To Work Laws....

[global1]

When I read the definition of a 'right to work law' it says:

A "right-to-work" law is a statute in the United States that prohibits union security agreements, or agreements between labor unions and employers, that govern the extent to which an established union can require employees' membership, payment of union dues, or fees as a condition of employment.

If my understanding is correct - with a right to work law in effect it means that a worker doesn't have to pay union dues in a union shop if they don't want to or I guess to take that one step further - they don't have to join the union.

So my question is why are they allowed then to take advantage of the union benefits? If they don't want to join the union or pay union dues - can they be at a different pay grade or benefit level than the union members that do pay the dues? In other words - reward the union member that pays the dues and penalize the non-union member that doesn't.

What am I missing here?

I never worked in a situation where there was a union - so I really don't understand how this all works. I'm hoping that someone here can clarify this for me.

[jberryhill]

1. You aren't missing anything

Yes, that's correct. It allows people to free-ride on what the union has obtained in collective bargaining.

[el_bryanto]

3. More to the point - it guts the unions ability to collectively bargain

So that there's no real benefit to joining a union. Many of these states are in the south that has a long history of punishing union membership - so there's no real upside to joining a union and a real downside to joining - thus unions stay weak. And of course the bosses can keep wages and benefits low.

Bryant

[ret5hd]

2. Ther union is REQUIRED by federal law to give the non-union worker ALL of the benefits of membersip.

[global1]

6. What Federal Law Is That And How Did That Come To Be?......

If I'm a member of any organization - I enjoy the member benefits of that organization. If I choose not to join and pay my membership fees/dues - I just don't get the benefits of that organization. I don't get their newsletters or monthly magazine. I don't get to go to any of their functions for no fee or a reduced fee. I'm just not entitled to anything that his organization may provide actual members.

How did that become different for unions?

[ret5hd]

7. It's either Taft-Hartley or Fed. Labor Relations Act

Don't remember which, been too long. It is whichever one contains the "right-to-work" provision in it.

An interesting side-note:
The airlines and railroads are covered under the Railway Labor Act, and therefore are not affected by the "right-to-work" provision. If you work for a unionized railroad or airline in a RTW state, you still have to join the union, pay dues, etc.

[JaneyVee]

4. Exactly.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

5. Here's a good, brief summary:

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/free-books/employee-rights-book/chapter15-5.html