Delaware and New Mexico Counties Introduce RTW

On Tuesday, Councilman Rob Arlett introduced a local Right-to-Work ordinance in Sussex County, Delaware.

Local Right to Work allows counties and other local governments to pass Right-to-Work laws in their jurisdictions.

Right-to-Work protects the First Amendment rights of workers and gives them a choice of whether to join a union or not and pay dues. In states without Right-to-Work laws, joining a union is a requirement for some jobs.

Right to Work also provides strong economic benefits. In Kentucky, for example, 13 counties passed local Right-to-Work ordinances in 2014 and 2015 before the state became Right to Work earlier this year.

One of the Kentucky counties that passed local Right to Work was Warren County, and county officials there reported $1 billion in new capital investment after Right to Work was passed.

In addition, almost every Kentucky county that passed local Right to Work saw its unemployment rate drop significantly. Warren County, for example, went from 6.9 percent unemployment in 2013 to 4.6 percent in 2015, and Hardin County went from 7.7 percent to 5.1 in the same time frame.

While unions have challenged local Right to Work, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit upheld its constitutionality on November 18, 2016. The U.S. Supreme Court subsequently declined to hear the case on October 2, 2017.

What are the next steps for the Delaware county ordinance?

The Sussex County ordinance is scheduled for public discussion on October 24th. The ordinance needs the support of 3 of the 5 Council members, who are all Republicans, in order to become law.

In addition to the Sussex County Council, the Sandoval County Commission in New Mexico is also examining a local Right-to-Work ordinance. A contentious public hearing was held on October 5th, and the next meeting is scheduled for October 19^th.

Both Sussex county and Sandoval county have unemployment rates above the national average.

Americans for Tax Reform and the Center for Worker Freedom, therefore, urge county officials to pass the Right-to-Work ordinances and help their economies.