By Edward Morrissey, The Fiscal Times
Last week, Indiana became the 23rd state in the US to adopt right-to-work laws that prohibit closed shops and mandatory union-dues fees in workplaces. The change was notable for two reasons. First, it had been more than a decade since any state adopted right-to-work laws. But more importantly, Indiana is the first rust belt state – where manufacturing provided most of the economy and unions controlled large portions of the labor force – to pass such laws.
Few doubt that Indiana needs some changes to boost its economic development. At the time of the law’s passage, Indiana ranked 38th in employment with a 9 percent jobless rate. Their ranking for per capita income had fallen from 33rd in 2000 to 42nd in 2010, and their state rankings for 10-, 20-, and 30-year improvement in per-capita income range from 45th to 48th. Only Georgia, Nevada, and Michigan did worse on the 10-year measure.
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