If Arizona repeals its right-to-work law, you could be forced to join a union, pay dues

Arizona labor organizations are pushing an initiative to repeal Article 25 of the state constitution, an amendment shielding workers in Arizona from compulsory union membership as a condition of employment. 

If repealed, the ranks of union workers would vastly increase.

As an Arizona resident employed by a non-unionized company, I hope they don’t go through with it.

Under Article 25, Arizona workers like me can opt out of paying union dues. If the Arizona Works Together initiative passes, repealing the amendment, I will have to part with up to 2% of my income for dues.

This is coercion.

What if I choose to not join the union? What if I prefer my current working conditions or disagree with a union initiative?

I would still have to pay.

UAW efforts could still kill jobs

Proponents of the initiative might ask why workers would opt out of union membership in the first place.

If unions were a universal boon, I might sympathize, but no worker should be forced to pay into a system that slows wage discussions, terrorizes mental health and hampers innovation. It’s analogous to unjust taxation.

Although labor advocates tout the superior power of unions to leverage higher wages, the collective bargaining process is lethargic, and its effects are minimal.

It took GM and Ford five months to reach a tentative agreement with the United Auto Workers in late October. 

The UAW’s unwillingness to compromise has resulted in layoffs across the country, most recently at Ford’s Kentucky plant, leaving thousands without jobs and many with no improvements in workplace conditions.

UAW succeeded in securing a tentative agreement with Ford that included 25% wage increases and cost-of-living adjustments over a 4½-year contract. But raising wages above a competitive rate will eventually reduce the number of available jobs at unionized firms.

In Arizona, union negotiations drag on

The Common Sense Institute Arizona estimates that repeal of right-to-work will impose $15 billion and $18 billion of additional costs on Arizona companies, and listed it as a potential “job killer.” It is projected to reduce employment by 3.9% and real GDP by 4% over the next decade.

Union progress is slow, and no workplace changes can be made in the absence of negotiations between the employer and the union representatives.

Examples from Arizona demonstrate this point, as the local marijuana dispensary Cureleaf Midtown has been pending finalization of the union contract for more than a year.

Union workers must endure subpar working conditions for longer than those who are free to walk if their employer won’t negotiate quick changes.

While unions may help make small improvements for a large number of people, it is not in the best interest of an individual to join a union, especially if the person is a valuable worker skilled in persuasion.

A worker who knows what he or she is worth could take control of their own situation and make impactful changes in their work life without the burdensome red tape of labor negotiations. 

Workers are better arbiters for themselves

The one size-fits-all nature of collective bargaining neglects individual employee preferences: Some people prefer more money, while others desire more vacation time.

My boss allows me to work part of the day from home on work-in-the-office days to avoid traffic — a tailored fringe benefit that collective bargaining may not accommodate.

None of the demands of either the recent and short-lived strikes by Sky Harbor employees or the Cureleaf Midtown dispensary included any unique benefits.  

Additionally, contentious labor negotiations can fray employees’ mental health by creating additional stress by fracturing the relationship between the employer and workers. 

Unions are an unnecessary intermediary in compensation discussions, a burden on employee mental health, and a stick in the wheel of innovation and progress.

The move to nullify Article 25 will only increase their blight on the face of Arizona’s economy. Let’s keep Arizona a right to work state. 

Peter Clark is a contributor with Young Voices, a nonprofit that serves young professionals writing cultural and policy commentary. Clark has worked in international logistics, domestic logistics and IT distribution. He lives in Maricopa. On X, formerly Twitter: @blog_logic.