We will call this Right-to-Work vs Pay-to-Work
While Obama and Unions battle against Michigan lawmakers passing right-to work laws which would forbid Unions from forcing non-union members to pay dues to be allowed to work, it is worth noting that 8 of 10 states listed at the Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistic (BLS) website, with the lowest unemployment rates are all listed as right-to-work states, which have passed right-to-work laws.
On the flip side of the coin, 7 of 10 states listed at BLS with the highest unemployment rates are all states without right-to-work laws.
List of 23 Right-to-Work States
Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Louisiana
Mississippi
Nebraska
Nevada
North Carolina
North Dakota
Oklahoma-
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia-
Wyoming
List of 27 states, plus DC (28) without Right-to-Work Laws
Alaska
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Hawaii
Illinois
Kentucky
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Montana
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
Ohio
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Vermont
Washington
Washington DC
West Virginia
Wisconsin- (Collective bargaining law, but not right-to-work)
Chart of states with unemployment rates for October:
| Unemployment Rates for States Monthly Rankings Seasonally Adjusted Oct. 2012p |
||
|---|---|---|
| Rank | State | Rate |
| 1 | NORTH DAKOTA | 3.1 |
| 2 | NEBRASKA | 3.8 |
| 3 | SOUTH DAKOTA | 4.5 |
| 4 | IOWA | 5.1 |
| 5 | UTAH | 5.2 |
| 5 | WYOMING | 5.2 |
| 7 | OKLAHOMA | 5.3 |
| 8 | HAWAII | 5.5 |
| 8 | VERMONT | 5.5 |
| 10 | KANSAS | 5.7 |
| 10 | NEW HAMPSHIRE | 5.7 |
| 10 | VIRGINIA | 5.7 |
| 13 | MINNESOTA | 5.8 |
| 14 | MONTANA | 6.0 |
| 15 | NEW MEXICO | 6.3 |
| 16 | LOUISIANA | 6.6 |
| 16 | MASSACHUSETTS | 6.6 |
| 16 | TEXAS | 6.6 |
| 19 | MARYLAND | 6.7 |
| 20 | DELAWARE | 6.8 |
| 21 | MISSOURI | 6.9 |
| 21 | OHIO | 6.9 |
| 21 | WISCONSIN | 6.9 |
| 24 | IDAHO | 7.0 |
| 25 | ALASKA | 7.1 |
| 26 | ARKANSAS | 7.2 |
| 27 | MAINE | 7.4 |
| 28 | WEST VIRGINIA | 7.5 |
| 29 | COLORADO | 7.9 |
| 30 | INDIANA | 8.0 |
| 31 | ALABAMA | 8.1 |
| 31 | ARIZONA | 8.1 |
| 31 | PENNSYLVANIA | 8.1 |
| 34 | TENNESSEE | 8.2 |
| 34 | WASHINGTON | 8.2 |
| 36 | KENTUCKY | 8.4 |
| 37 | DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | 8.5 |
| 37 | FLORIDA | 8.5 |
| 39 | OREGON | 8.6 |
| 39 | SOUTH CAROLINA | 8.6 |
| 41 | GEORGIA | 8.7 |
| 41 | NEW YORK | 8.7 |
| 43 | ILLINOIS | 8.8 |
| 44 | MISSISSIPPI | 8.9 |
| 45 | CONNECTICUT | 9.0 |
| 46 | MICHIGAN | 9.1 |
| 47 | NORTH CAROLINA | 9.3 |
| 48 | NEW JERSEY | 9.7 |
| 49 | CALIFORNIA | 10.1 |
| 50 | RHODE ISLAND | 10.4 |
| 51 | NEVADA | 11.5 |
Average unemployment in Right-to-Work states: 6.90%
Average unemployment in states without Right-to-Work Laws: 7.88%
Obama's argument when he visited Michigan to pitch his tax the rich death trap, but decided to weigh in on the battle between Unions who are pushing for a forced "pay-to-work" where they can require that workers to pay union dues or fees as a condition of their employment, whether that worker wishes to join the union or not, and Michigan lawmakers, was "These so-called right-to-work laws don't have anything to do with economics -- they have everything to do with politics," Obama said. "What they're really talking about is giving you the right to work for less money."
Perhaps someone should explain to Obama, liberals, Democrats and the union leaders that to some people, having a lower paying job is better than having no job at all.
On election day, 58 percent of Michigan voters voted against a union proposal, titled " Proposal 2," which would have enshrined union collective bargaining powers in the state constitution.
Two states have recently passed laws concerning unions, Wisconsin which passed a law to limit collective bargaining and as Byron York points out, that has resulted in "more money, more teachers and better conditions in schools around the state."
Indiana passed right-to-work measures and they have seen "a significant increase in the number of companies talking about [bringing] thousands of jobs to their state."
When workers apply for a job, they should have the right to work without being forced to pay to work.