TY  - JOUR
AU  - Ellwood,David T.
AU  - Fine,Glenn A.
TI  - The Impact of Right-to-Work Laws on Union Organizing
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 1116
PY  - 1983
Y2  - May 1983
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w1116
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w1116.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
David T. Ellwood
John F. Kennedy School of Government
Harvard University
79 JFK Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Tel: 617/495-1121
Fax: 617/496-9053
E-Mail: david_ellwood@harvard.edu
AB  - In contrast to previous studies which have examined the impact of Right-to-Work (RTW) laws on the level or stock of union membership, this paper examines their impact on the most updated flow into membership and the organizing of workers through certified elections. Since detailed annual data are available by state, we are able to estimate an accelerator model of the flow into unionism, and adjust for possible omitted variable and simultaneity bias. The results show dramatic falls in organizing immediately after the passage of a RTW law, with more moderate declines in later years, just as an accelerator model could predict. Overall, the results are consistent with a 5-10 percent reduction in unionism as a result of the passage of RTW laws.
ER  -