Many people get confused as to what Right-to-Work and At-Will really mean in terms of labor laws.
- Right-to-Work refers to a state that has enacted laws that guarantee no individual can be forced to join a union as terms of their employment.
- At-Will means an employer can terminate an employee at any time for any reason, except an illegal one, or for no reason without incurring legal liability.
Many opponents of Right-to-Work laws say that they weaken the strength of unions by forcing them to provide services to non-members as well as paying members. Federal law already disallows the denial of employment due to union membership, regardless of state law. According to a report from the Economic Policy Institute, workers in right-to-work states make 3.1% less annual income after adjusting for differences in cost of living.
The key phrase to take away from At-Will employment is except an illegal one. Every state has some form of At-Will laws, with some kind of exemptions, in Texas, there are state and public policy exemptions that apply, meaning certain laws protect you from being fired for an unjust cause (such as your religion). Please read this list of protections you have against being fired in Texas.
“If capitalism is fair then unionism must be. If men and women have a right to capitalize their ideas and the resources of their country, then that implies the right of men and women to capitalize their labor.” – Frank Lloyd Wright