In the wake of the decision by workers at Boeing to hold the line on protecting good-paying jobs and strong pensions, one state legislator from Spokane has introduced legislation called “Right to Work.” What exactly is “Right to Work” and how would it impact us?

Big businesses in Washington D.C. and our state have funded efforts in recent years to enact Right To Work (for less) laws, which prohibit Unions and employers from entering into Union security clauses – which require all workers who benefit from a contract to share in the cost of representation.

What you don’t hear from folks who support these disastrous laws is the consequences of passing these in states where they already have Right to Work for less legislation:

• Workers in RTW states earn, on average, $5,500 less per year (or $458 per month) than in states without RTW laws
• Employers in RTW states offer health insurance at a lower rate than in states without RTW, and the number of uninsured adults and children is higher in states without RTW laws
• The poverty rates for adults and children are both higher in states with RTW (for less) laws
• Workplace deaths are a staggering 58% higher in RTW states

Right to Work (for less) hurts everyone but Wall Street CEOs by driving down quality-of-life standards for workers and the communities of which they are a part. Make no mistake: we should expect the fight to come to Washington state next year and we will need to be constantly vigilant to ensure we protect what we have for all our members.