“Right-to-work” states have laws on the books that prohibit workplaces from requiring membership in a union as a condition of employment. These laws protect workers who do not want to join a union from having to pay union dues.
These states, for better or for worse, have taken a stand against forced union membership, and the right-to-work laws have teeth. That is, they’re enforceable in ways that vary from state to state and include a range of remedies, including civil enforcement, criminal prosecution, money judgments and injunctive relief.
The proponents of right-to-work suggest that these laws are a matter of freedom — that workers should be able to choose to freely associate with unions or not.
Those who argue against say the laws are just thinly veiled contrivances to weaken the unions and undermine their bargaining power. The end result, they say, is that all workers suffer.
California is not a right-to-work state.
Paycheck protection initiatives
But California is not immune to the winds of anti-labor sentiment. In 1998, 2005, 2010 and 2012, challenges to union economic power and political clout made their way to the ballot box in the form of paycheck protection initiatives. These measures sought a ban against automatic deductions for political fundraising that unions took from their members’ paychecks.
The most recent measure in 2012 did not pass. It was soundly defeated. Had the measure passed, political analysts assert it would have dealt an irreversible blow to labor.
Today, California has no right-to-work laws on the books.