Right to Work, again

In case anyone was wondering about the effectiveness of right to work laws in suppressing unionization, here is a chart of Union coverage rate by State (the percentage of all employees that are covered by a collective agreement) as of 2010.  Right to work states have an asterisk, and are outlined with a black dotted line. (Chart updated, original scale was wrong).

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics

Update:  This shows, of course, only correlation, and not necessarily a causal relationship. Most right-to-work laws in the U.S. were passed in the 1940’s and 1950’s.

In fact, only 4 states have passed a right-to-work law since 1975.

Right-to-work legislation was used in the American south to prevent unions from gaining strength. Apparently Indiana was different: Prospect: Where Indiana Goes So Goes the Nation.