Missouri voters on Tuesday will decide whether to support the right-to-work law that the Missouri legislature passed last year or not.

Before voting, Missouri voters should know how important right to work is to their freedom and economic prosperity.

Despite what unions might say, right to work merely allows workers to decide for themselves whether they want to pay union fees or not. With right to work, workers are still able to organize and join a union, but they are not forced to support that union.

Because of this freedom, union membership actually increased in right-to-work states from 2005 to 2014. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that right to work led to membership growth of 1.3%, while membership in forced union states dropped an average of 9%. The reason for this is that with right to work, unions have to convince workers to join and as a result, they do a better job representing their workers.    

In addition, right to work brings economic growth, jobs, and higher wages to a state. Gallup estimates that Missouri has lost 40 percent of potential company expansion opportunities because it is not right to work. In addition, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, state GDPs without right to work grew only 11.9%, while states with right to work grew 15.3% from 2005 to 2015.

Further, right to work brings a number of jobs to a state. From 2001 to 2016, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that private sector employment grew 27% in right-to-work states, compared to 15.4% in non-right-to-work states.

Finally, Missouri State Senator Bob Onder (R-Lake Saint Louis) reports that income in right-to-work states has grown 39% in the past 15 years, while income has only grown by 25 percent in non-right-to-work states. Also, workers in right-to-work states make about $2,250 (adjusted for cost of living) more than workers in forced-union states.

Because right to work benefits all, the Center for Worker Freedom urges Missouri voters to support Missouri and vote “yes” on Prop A in support of right to work.