What are called right-to-work laws would more accurately be termed “right-to-work-for-less,” for their aim is to deprive unions of dues and money essential to their ability to represent workers and enforce contracts.

A signal achievement of the New Deal was the Wagner Act of 1935, guaranteeing labor’s rights to organize and bargain collectively. It established that when the majority of workers in a facility votes for union representation, all the members of the bargaining unit are union members and pay membership dues. Unions saw enormous growth, and their strength helped create conditions and legislation that benefited all of society — including the weekend, the 8-hour day, Social Security, unemployment compensation and the elimination of child labor.