By Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Committee and National Right to Work Foundation
This Labor Day we salute the American worker: the men and women who serve as the backbone of our economy. Without their hard work and resilience we could not enjoy the quality of life we have in America today.
However, Floridians have even more to celebrate: Florida’s commitment to safeguarding worker freedom as one of 26 states with a Right to Work law, a commonsense, popular protection for the workers we celebrate on Labor Day.
Under Right to Work, employees cannot be forced to join a union or pay union dues as a condition of employment. The decision of union membership and financial support is left right where it belongs: with each individual worker.
Of course, in Florida unions are still free to persuade employees to join their ranks voluntarily. But unlike states without Right to Work protections, union bosses in Florida cannot threaten workers with termination if they don’t join or pay union fees.
Over the last three decades, polls demonstrate that roughly 80 percent of Americans believe it’s wrong to force workers to join a union and pay union fees. Further, according to a recent RMG Research poll, 79 percent of current union members—who have firsthand experience dealing with union officials—agree that union membership and dues payments should be voluntary.
When union dues are forced, union bosses can ignore workers’ needs and interests with impunity. Knowing workers are required to pay dues or be fired, leaders often use these funds for their own personal gain and political agenda, no matter how many rank-and-file may object. When dues are voluntary, workers can withhold them from union bosses if they object to union officials’ priorities.
Yet Right to Work laws are not only a victory for workers’ freedom of choice, they also have a long track record of generating prosperity and opportunity.
According to a recent analysis from the National Institute for Labor Relations Research (NILRR), from 2015 to 2025 private sector employment grew by 15 percent in Right to Work states compared to a stunted 5.8 percent growth in forced-unionism states. Over the same ten-year period, Right to Work states’ manufacturing jobs grew a steady 7.7 percent, while states without Right to Work lost 2.9 percent of existing manufacturing jobs.
Right to Work laws consistently rank as one of the most important factors business leaders consider when deciding which state to relocate to or expand in, creating new jobs. Consequently, from 2012 to 2023, workers and residents in 23 forced-unionism states have migrated to Right to Work states, resulting in a cumulative $2.05 trillion loss in adjusted gross income for forced-unionism states.
Attracting jobs and opportunity leaves workers better off. The NILRR analysis found that after adjusting for cost-of-living differences, workers in Right to Work states have roughly $3,500 more in disposable income compared to their counterparts in forced-unionism states.
Right to Work laws don’t outlaw labor unions, nor do they impede on individuals who want to join a union and pay dues voluntarily. But no American should be forced to join an organization under the threat of losing their job, let alone be forced to fund it with their paycheck.
This is why Right to Work laws are important. While the economic benefits are clear, this is really about the moral case for protecting the fundamental freedoms that separate America—and the quality of life she gives us—from the rest of the world.
So this Labor Day, let’s celebrate Florida’s commitment to workers’ rights. Other states aren’t so lucky: union officials can force workers to pay billions of dollars every year under the threat of termination. But in Florida, employees can choose whether or not they want to support a labor union, which creates more freedom and prosperity for all.
