Wrong About Right-to-Work

[marmar]

from Dollars & Sense:




Wrong About Right-to-Work
Laffer throws another curve-ball.

By John Miller

Boeing and the Union Berlin Wall

Two policies have consistently stood out as the most important in predicting where jobs will be created and incomes will rise. First, states with no income tax generally outperform high income tax states. Second, states that have right-to-work laws grow faster than states with forced unionism.

As of today there are 22 right-to-work states and 28 union-shop states. Over the past decade (2000–09) the right-to-work states grew faster in nearly every respect than their union-shop counterparts: 54.6% versus 41.1% in gross state product, 53.3% versus 40.6% in personal income, 11.9% versus 6.1% in population, and 4.1% versus -0.6% in payrolls.

The Boeing incident makes it clear that right-to-work states have a competitive advantage over forced-union states. So the question arises: Why doesn’t every state adopt right-to-work laws?

—Arthur B. Laffer and Stephen Moore, Wall Street Journal op-ed, May 13, 2011

What do you get when you mix a Wall Street Journal editorial writer with a supply-side economist?

That’s right: more of the same.

This time, however, it’s right-to-work laws, not taxes, that come in for the full Laffer treatment (although without the illustration on the back of a cocktail napkin).

In May of this year, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued an injunction to stop defense giant Boeing from moving a jet production line from its unionized factories in Washington state to right-to-work South Carolina. The International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers union had filed a complaint that the planned move was in retaliation against strikes the union conducted over the last decade, and thus illegal. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.dollarsandsense.org/archives/2011/0711miller.html

[Sarah Ibarruri]

1. "Right to work," a phrase that means, "Right to deny work." A right wing word game.

Amazing how extensive is the right winghole play with words, isn't it?

[ellenfl]

8. you've got that absolutely right. florida is a right to work state,

which is definitely republicanese for 'right to fire state'.

ellen fl

[rurallib]

2. I live in a right to work for less state. Our economy sucks

we have relatively low unemployment thanks to our last (dem) governor, but the wages stink, so there is little extra money for anything.

[rfranklin]

3. Truth in labeling: "Right to Work...for less money...no benefits...fire at will"

or perhaps "Right to work the workers to death."

[Blue Meany]

4. I call them right to starve states. n/t

[raccoon]

5. Yep. I live in one. nt

[OHdem10]

6. The New Republican Governors have Union Busted in an effort

to make all states Right to Work. This means Companies
can hire at lower and lower wages. They say they have
to compete, so lower salaries and less benefits make
it easier to bring Companies to states that were unionized.

Banana Republic here we come.

[southernyankeebelle]

7. That means they have a right to fire you and give you no reason why. It doesnt

benefit workers at all.

[OwnedByFerrets]

9. In ALA, RTW means The Right to Fire (for any reason)