Has mandatory unionization cost Ohioans income?
By Stephanie Kreuz | WatchdogWire.com
Does right-to-work add more to your pocketbook?
MISSING THE MARK: A recent study shows states that don’t adopt right-to-work laws cost residents thousands.
Richard Vedder, a professor of economics at Ohio University, thinks so. Twenty-four states have “right-to-work” laws, but Ohio isn’t one of them. And he presents evidence showing Ohioans income may have paid a price.
A study, published with the Competitive Enterprise Institute, compared states that force employees to join a union if there is one and those who don’t. The conclusions buck conventional union wisdom on what happens to wages when a state becomes a “right-to-work state.”
He estimates Ohio lost $37.633 billion in personal income in 2012 because it is not a right-to-work state, ranking fifth. That is a $3,260 per capita loss, ranking 17th.
