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Indiana: Ending Forced Unionism Creates Jobs
It’s been only six months since Indiana became the 23rd right to work state in America, but it is already seeing a surge in business activity.
Indiana adopted right to work protections in February, and is the only such state in the Midwest to do so. Right to work laws guarantee that workers will not have to join a union—or pay into it—just to keep their jobs, as is the case for many Pennsylvania workers.
Last week, Indiana’s Commerce Secretary Daniel Hasler testified before Indiana’s General Assembly, noting that passing a right to work law in February is a direct factor in creating 7,500 jobs and attracting $1.6 billion in investment. So far, 57 companies have begun setting up shop in Indiana citing right to work as a key factor (see Hasler’s presentation slides below).
The best part? The companies who identified Indiana’s right to work status as the reason for investing are offering higher hourly wages—on average, $24.08 compared to $19.36 in 2011.
This is just further evident that right to work works for businesses and employees, providing better growth and higher incomes. Indiana’s union bosses claim businesses would have flocked to their state anyway, but they have a selfish reason to oppose right to work—it is much easier to force someone to pay union dues than persuade them to do so.