ANALYSIS: Do Right-to-Work Laws Really Impact Union Strength?

Earlier this year, I plumbed Bloomberg Law’s labor databases to compare unions’ strength in the 27 U.S. states that have adopted right-to-work laws and the 23 states that haven’t. I found that unions generally performed worse in right-to-work states when it came to membership, organizing, and picketing power, but better in terms of earnings.

In this new analysis, I’m asking the obvious follow-up question: How much of this disparity can actually be attributed to the presence of such laws, which seek to curb labor by making it unlawful to require nonunion workers to join unions or pay union dues? Or, ...