What is right-to-work

[the Left™]

What is a right-to-work state, what is the difference from a closed and open shop, and what are arguments for and against?

[Commissar Rykov]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-to-work_law

It is a way to keep unions out of business and allow employers to have an easier time firing employees.

[GPDP]

It's Orwellian for "fuck unions."

[thriller]

What is a right-to-work state, what is the difference from a closed and open shop, and what are arguments for and against?

Right-to-work, at least in the United States means that if there is a union business, people who are hired have the right NOT to join the union and/or pay dues. It's a way of getting non-union workers into a business to outnumber the union employees, which will usually result in the death of that union.

[Die Neue Zeit]

It certainly isn't the "right" to zero structural and cyclical unemployment.

[mrmikhail]

Right-to-work, at least in the United States means that if there is a union business, people who are hired have the right NOT to join the union and/or pay dues. It's a way of getting non-union workers into a business to outnumber the union employees, which will usually result in the death of that union.

This is not entirely true, in Virginia where I am, which is a RTW state, has many companies which have mandatory unions (UPS and grocery stores to name two) in fact on those two at UPS the only way to move up in the company is through the teamsters...

but yes in general it makes unionisation more difficult to achieve, and gives employers the right to fire you for no reason at all (within federal laws)

[The Idler]

Its the right-wing myth that you can have a right to work under capitalism.