The Right To Work For Less: The Effect of Right-to-Work Laws on Unfair Labor Practice Filing at the NLRB

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of right-to-work laws on the filing of unfair labor practice complaints at the National Labor Relations Board in the U.S. I analyze a unique dataset I collected of the census of unfair labor practice charges filed by private sector employees at the NLRB from 2000 to 2019. I implement mixed effect models and the synthetic control method to show how workers, the frontline victims of right-to-work laws, are impeded in their efforts to protect collective bargaining rights. I find evidence of disparate attempts to make use of unfair labor practice filings as right-to-work is adopted that illustrates both innovation and frustration among Labor in the U.S. This work highlights how a key mechanism in the acquisition of union premiums is changed as a result of right-to-work laws.