Jobs and job opportunities are WORSE in so-called ‘right-to-work’ states

Another reason we need to vote NO on Prop A on Aug. 7

The hype from the so-called “right-to-work” dark money lobby is that RTW creates jobs, but research shows that’s not true at all; it’s another lie meant to deceive people into believing “right-to-work” (RTW) is good for them.

The facts tell a different story.

As part of our ongoing series to shed the light of truth on this anti-worker law and the deceptive PR effort being used to promote it, we researched the issue of JOBS –– which states are the most attractive and provide the most opportunity to find a job, and which are the WORST.

To be clear: the job market in America is improving dramatically and unemployment, at least officially, is at its lowest since 2000. That’s great on its surface, but the official numbers don’t account for slack wage growth or people who are unemployed but have stopped looking for work due to inability to find a job that pays enough to survive. The key to those numbers is which states provide the most fertile “hunting ground” for jobs in terms of wages and support services and which provide the least.

The financial website WalletHub did a comparison, and the results were not surprising:

WORST STATES

• RTW – 15 of the 25 worst states for job hunting (60 percent) are RTW states.

• WITHOUT RTW – Only 10 of the worst 25 states (40 percent) are without a RTW law.

BEST STATES

• WITHOUT RTW – 13 of the 25 best states (52 percent) have NO RTW law, allowing workers to have far better job opportunities.

• RTW – Only 12 of the 25 best states (48 percent) are RTW states.

At 34th overall (17th worst) Missouri has little to brag about. RTW is supposed to improve job prospects for workers, according to the deceptive hype, but when you look at the numbers, that’s simply not true. And when you look at the Missouri Legislature’s other actions — cutting educational support, job training support, help for unemployed workers, making it harder to prove workplace discrimination —RTW can only make things worse. And as recent tax cuts for the 1% further drained funds for support services, we, the workers of Missouri, will get the shaft.

BEST AND WORST CITIES

In a separate report by WalletHub looking at the 181 Best Cities to Start a Career, only three Missouri cities made the list: St. Louis, #98; Kansas City, #94; and Springfield, #138.

Understanding that working families in RTW states take home an average of $8,740 LESS a year, passage of Prop A (RTW) can only make matters worse.

FACTORS FOR JOB HUNTERS

To reach its conclusions about the best and worst states for job hunters, WalletHub used 29 metrics in two major areas:

• Job Market –including job opportunities, employment growth, unemployment rates (both short and long-term), employment outlooks, job security, job satisfaction, employer-based retirement access and participation, worker benefits, nondiscrimination laws and policies, share of part-time workers, availability of internships, job opportunities and others.

• Economic Environment – including s median annual income, monthly average starting salaries, share of workers living in poverty, average length of the work week, commuter-friendly jobs, state tax burden for both middle-income and high-income workers and how working moms and dads are impacted.

Two earlier Labor Tribune reports, “Working Moms” and “Working Dads” covered these two issues in detail showing how bad it is for moms and dads in RTW states.

METHODOLOGY

WalletHub is a nationally recognized financial services company based in Washington, DC. Its reports offer insights on a diverse variety of community of subjects and are regularly referenced by news outlets including Bloomberg News, The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, USA Today, Forbes, Yahoo, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and The New York Times.

The conclusions in this series were developed by the Labor Tribune by overlaying RTW and non-RTW listings on WalletHub’s Best and Worst rankings for all 50 states. The WalletHub studies did not attempt to draw a comparison between RTW and non-RTW states, eliminating any potential for bias.

Our Labor Tribune series is designed to offer readers an unbiased understanding of how RTW impacts issues that are important to workers’ lives, jobs, health and quality of life. To date, none of the studies referenced in this series, including studies by WalletHub and U.S. News and World Report, have shown any advantage in RTW states.

VOTE ‘NO’ ON PROP. A (RTW)

On Aug. 7 voters will vote on Prop. A, the ballot measure to determine whether Missouri will be a RTW state.

The evidence is clear, Prop. A (RTW) will not only fail to create jobs, drive down wages and benefits and make workplaces less safe, living under RTW threatens the well-being of you and your family.

Missourians will have a chance Aug. 7 to defeat RTW by voting NO on PROP A, sending a clear message to Missouri lawmakers that we don’t want to join the ranks of Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and other states where working people can’t earn a fair return on their work and the wealthiest 1% and their corporate lobbyists use this anti-worker law to enrich themselves at the expense of workers and working families.

Protect your pay, protect your family, vote NO on Prop A on Aug. 7, and make the effort to have your entire family of voting age and your friends do the same.

SOURCES

Sources for this WalletHub research included the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Indeed.com, Gallup-Healthways, United Health Foundation, Brandwatch, The Pew Charitable Trusts, National Conference of State Legislatures, Chegg, Council for Community and Economic Research, Tax Credits for Workers and Their Families, ITEP, Movement Advancement Project, Glassdoor, The Center for Neighborhood Technology and WalletHub research.

See previous Why Vote No on Prop A stories:

Part 8. Children’s education in RTW states stinks

Part 9. For Millennials, RTW is an albatross to their future hopes of living the American Dream

Part 10. Living in RTW states is more dangerous for everyone, but especially students

Part 11. Working Dads take a terrible hit in RTW states

Part 12. Earning a fair living in RTW states: NOT HAPPENING

Part 13. Workers suffer an overall poorer quality of life in RTW states