Guide / Right-to-work
U.S. jurisdiction · Right-to-work states · Union security
Right-to-work does not kill the CBA. It kills mandatory dues.
A right-to-work statute bars union-security clauses that require dues or fees as a condition of keeping the job. Exclusive representation stays. Grievances stay. The contribution article still funds the pension. What changes is how dues are collected.
In plain English
The local still bargains for everyone in the unit. Nobody can be fired for not paying dues. Checkoff works only for members who signed an authorization. That is a membership operation problem, which is why RTW locals feel "union payroll software" in their bones.
The 26 right-to-work states (private sector, 2026)
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming. Michigan's 2012 statute was repealed in 2023. This list moves; treat it as operational, not eternal.
What still lives in the agreement
- Recognition, wages, hours, seniority, just cause and grievances
- Voluntary checkoff authorizations (the union-security article has to be written for RTW)
- Pension and health contributions: those are employer obligations, not member dues
Public sector: Janus already barred agency fees nationwide. A state RTW law is the private-sector overlay. Canada is the opposite default: the Rand formula.
Submit an RTW-state CBA and we still stand up membership, optional dues, dispatch, and funds in a day. The software has to know the difference. Upload it.
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