South Carolina is a right-to-work state.

Here’s what that means: qualified employees have the right to work in unionized workplaces without joining that union or paying union dues. Currently, 28 states (including our own) have this kind of statute that prohibits union security agreements. This statue is different from South Carolina’s employment-at-will labor law that allows employers to fire employees without “just cause.”

Why employees want to be part of a union: Unions set pay standards + workplace protections, and have the bargaining power to negotiate with employers on the worker’s behalf. Workers in training, library and education occupations have the highest unionization rates at 33.5%.

Union employees typically have to pay dues. But in some cases, non-union employees (right-to-work employees) do have to pay a portion of the union dues as a compensation for representing them.

So why is it so important that South Carolina is a right-to-work state? Right-to-work statutes protect workers from being forced to join unions. On the flip side, some argue that these laws allow businesses to pay less for labor + keep unions from being able to fight for benefits and better pay for their members.

Employers typically support right-to-work legislation because many employers believe that employees should be able to choose whether or not they are part of a union. Unions oppose right-to-work legislation because the fewer number of unionized employees there are in a workplace can make the union less effective.

Nationally, workers in right-to-work states make about $6,109 less a year than workers in other states, as unions help to address + solve issues like overtime, minimum wage and paid sick leave.

Do you think unions benefit or harm our state’s industries? Let us know.