Missouri will no longer require workers who benefit from collective bargaining to pay union dues. That means Illinois is going to be surrounded by so-called right-to-work states.
Gary Burtless is a labor economist at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D-C. He says there’s no research on how -- or even IF --- right-to-work laws have affected the economy states that were once union strongholds.
“Because of a lot of other things may have happened to either improve the situation of workers or make their situation worse...the mix of industries. It’s very hard to control for everything.”
The Chamber of Commerce says Illinois can still compete with its right-to-work neighbors -- IF lawmakers take up Governor Bruce Rauner’s business agenda.
/// Republicans in Congress are pushing for national right-to-work legislation. The White House says the president is in favor.
