Right to Work Improves Wages

From the Missouri State House Republicans (click here to download infographic and supporting facts):

Right to Work Freedom Raises Wages

1. Wages Increase – Wages in the most recent Right to Work states all went up
   1. Oklahoma (2001): Increased average weekly wages that year from $539 to $551 in 2002. By the end of 2012 wages averaged $801 per week
   2. Indiana (2012): Average wages increased from $774 in 2011 to $793 by the end of 2012
2. Higher Disposable Income
   1. Nine of the 10 top-ranking states (Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, and Wyoming) in regards to disposable income have Right to Work laws
   2. The National Institute for Labor Relations Research found that the average cost of living-adjusted disposable income per capita in Right to Work states last year was $38,965, roughly $2,200 higher than the forced-unionism state average
   3. When adjusting for cost of living, workers in Right to Work states have 4.1 percent higher per-capita personal incomes than workers in non-Right to Work states.
3. Higher Job Growth
   1. Between 2002 and 2012, private-sector employee compensation grew by 14.2% in Right to Work states, while it only grew by 6.1% in forced-unionism states
   2. The most recent American Community Survey data released by the Census Bureau shows much the same pattern in Missouri as compared to our bordering Right to Work states. Between 2011 and 2012, median household income in Missouri dropped by $727, and between 2008 and 2012 the total decrease was $1,546. On average, Missouri workers lost more money between those years than any of the six bordering Right to Work states.
4. Dramatically Fewer Residents Need TANF

Right to Work states have a much lower portion of the population in the Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF) program.  On average only 6.3 of every 1,000 residents are in the TANF program in worker freedom states, while the number is 17.4 of every 1,000 in forced-unionism states