Posts Tagged ‘ Labor Law ’

Right To Work vs. Employment at Will: what’s the difference?

October 28th, 2009. By Kristine B

Right to Work tells whether you're required to join a union or not Lately, I’ve been researching state employment laws (for the record, I do have a life). And I’ve come across a lot of people who are confused “right to work” and “employment at will.” Can’t say I blame them. So, this week Pleading Ignorance is setting the record straight about…

The difference between ”right to work” and “employment at will”

Both “right to work” and “employment at will” are, obviously, employment terms. One has to do with hiring employees (hopefully you) the other has to do with firing employees (hopefully not you).

Right to Work

“Right to work” laws govern hiring of employees. In a nutshell, “right to work” means that a person has the right to work for a company without being required to either join a union or financially support a union. Basically, if you live in a “right to work” state, joining a union, or paying union dues, can’t be a condition of your employment.

Even in “right to work” states, unions can still legally operate. In fact, they may even still represent all employees in grievances and negotiations. However, they can’t force a person to join the union or pay union dues if the person doesn’t want to.

Now, there are arguments both for and against “right to work” laws. The short version is that

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Tags: Employment Law, Labor Law, Pleading Ignorance
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