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Right To Work Oklahoma Tops U.S. In Job Creation
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Right To Work Oklahoma Tops U.S. In Job Creation
But Prior to Sooners' Approval Last September of Law Banning Forced Union Dues, State's Employment Growth Was Less Than Half the National Average
Springfield, Va. – Today a spokesman for the National Right to Work Committee® pointed out that the U.S. Labor Department's data on job creation in the 50 states are already demonstrating the economic benefits of the Right to Work law approved by Oklahoma voters last September 25.
Oklahoma's Right to Work law, the nation's 22nd, prohibits the firing of employees who aren't union members for refusal to pay union dues or "fees." Last week, a federal judge rejected a bid to overturn the law by AFL-CIO Associate General Counsel Larry Gold, seven Oklahoma unions, and a unionized pipeline services firm.
"Between September and March, the last month for which hard federal job data for the 50 states are currently available, Oklahoma led the nation in growth of nonfarm employment," said Committee Vice President John Tate.
"Actually, the U.S. as a whole suffered a net loss of nearly three million jobs during this period. And Oklahoma was the only one of the 50 states to enjoy a net gain in jobs.
"That's a remarkable turnabout from the trend just prior to the Right to Work law's enactment.
"Between March 2001 and September 2001, Oklahoma's nonfarm job growth was less than half the national average.
"Furthermore, while every state except Oklahoma has lost jobs since September 2001, the 28 non-Right to Work states collectively endured a 20% more severe loss than the 22 Right to Work states."
The all-but undeniable boost that Oklahoma's new Right to Work law has given its economy is no anomaly.
A new study, based on official federal data, by Dr. William Wilson for Michigan's Mackinac Center shows that, between 1977 and 1999, average annual employment growth in Right to Work states was 2.9%, compared to 2.0% in non-Right to Work states.
Dr. Wilson also found that Right to Work states enjoy faster per capita income growth and have been far more successful than non-Right to Work states in reducing their poverty rates.
"A 54% to 46% majority of Oklahomans voted for the Right to Work Amendment last year. Polling data showed that moral opposition to forced unionism motivated most proponents of the Right to Work measure," Mr. Tate recalled.
"But it's already obvious that, as prominent backers such as GOP Gov. Frank Keating predicted, Oklahoma's Right to Work law isn't just morally right. It's also providing economic benefits for citizens from all walks of life."
For more information about Oklahoma's Right to Work law, the Right to Work principle, and federal Right to Work legislation, contact John Tate at (703) 321-9820 x2203.