A recent study by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute shows the right-to-work policies in Illinois and other states around the country have detrimental effects on public budgets and local economies, and even lead to lower wages. As background, right-to-work policies are those that seek to ban unions and employers from negotiating contracts. The current split between right-to-work and unionized states is 24-26, respectively. The researchers found that right-to-work really creates a "right to work for less." These laws decrease wage and salary income by an average of 3.2, and actually increase poverty rates among workers about about 1%. There is also a large taxation mismatch in right-to-work states, with workers contributing about 34.8% of all state and federal taxes, while receiving 41.9% of benefits in America. This creates quite a strain on local government budgets.
In Illinois, the right-to-work controversy is seen as one of the key talking points in the upcoming gubernatorial race. Republican candidate Bruce Raynor claims to have a problem with union bosses, but because of the controversy surrounding right-to-work laws, he has been reticent to blatantly advocate for them. The key issue here seems to be that while unions are good for some, they are bad for others. Similary, right-to-work laws are good for some and bad for others. The employment diversity in large cities like Chicago make it difficult to have one blanket policy for labor markets. For this reason, Raynor has discussed a policy of "right-to-work zones," where different localities can choose the type of labor policies they want to enact. I believe this is a very effective solution to a problem that is difficult to solve; different socioeconomic groups populate different regions, so those who benefit from unions live together, and those who do not live together.
For Illinois in particular, the numbers show that a blanket right-to-work policy would have an extremely detrimental effect on the state's economy. For Bruce Raynor, this means an interesting and very inflammatory debate about union policies in his home state - debate that is likely to grow to the national scene.
- Zach Dubrof
In Illinois, the right-to-work controversy is seen as one of the key talking points in the upcoming gubernatorial race. Republican candidate Bruce Raynor claims to have a problem with union bosses, but because of the controversy surrounding right-to-work laws, he has been reticent to blatantly advocate for them. The key issue here seems to be that while unions are good for some, they are bad for others. Similary, right-to-work laws are good for some and bad for others. The employment diversity in large cities like Chicago make it difficult to have one blanket policy for labor markets. For this reason, Raynor has discussed a policy of "right-to-work zones," where different localities can choose the type of labor policies they want to enact. I believe this is a very effective solution to a problem that is difficult to solve; different socioeconomic groups populate different regions, so those who benefit from unions live together, and those who do not live together.
For Illinois in particular, the numbers show that a blanket right-to-work policy would have an extremely detrimental effect on the state's economy. For Bruce Raynor, this means an interesting and very inflammatory debate about union policies in his home state - debate that is likely to grow to the national scene.
- Zach Dubrof
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