Banning Compulsory Dues Curbs Cost of Living
On average, forced-unionism states are 23.2% more expensive to live in than Right to Work states. And decades of academic research show that compulsory unionism actually fosters a higher cost of living.
On average, forced-unionism states are 23.2% more expensive to live in than Right to Work states. And decades of academic research show that compulsory unionism actually fosters a higher cost of living.
It defies common sense to claim that people who get the vast majority of their income from their jobs would lopsidedly favor living in states where they are worse off over states where they are better off.
A National Institute for Labor Relations Research analysis of U.S. Census Bureau (BOC) data shows that the mean cost of living-adjusted, after-tax household income in Right to Work states in 2019 was $64,572, roughly $4,300 higher than the forced-dues state average.
In a paper he wrote for the National Institute for Labor Relations Research a decade ago, economist Barry Poulson raised a point that seems obvious, but is generally overlooked in both academic and media analyses of relative living standards in…