Election Results a ‘Mixed Bag’ on Right-to-Work Measures

Proponents of right-to-work laws prevailed Nov. 8 in Alabama and South Dakota on related but very different ballot initiatives, but they lost their bid in Virginia to enshrine such a statute in the commonwealth’s constitution.

“Generally, what we saw with the measures were a mixed bag,” Jonathan Williams, vice president of the Center for State Fiscal Reform at the American Legislative Exchange Council, told Bloomberg BNA today.

Voters in Alabama approved adding right-to-work language to their state’s constitution with nearly 70 percent support. The amendment’s supporters said the move will boost the state’s economic development efforts.

In South Dakota, almost ...