Mark Mix is the president of the National Right to Work Committee and the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation.
This Labor Day, we celebrate the men and women whose hard work keeps the country running. But, in Delaware, many of those same workers face a real threat: Pay union dues or lose their jobs.
That’s because Delaware is one of the minority of states that lack a right-to-work law. Right-to-work laws ensure that union membership and financial support are fully voluntary, meaning that workers are free to join and pay dues to a union if they choose, but it cannot be mandatory.
In contrast, an employee in Delaware may oppose unionization but still be fired if they refuse to fund the union.
If you think this sounds unjust, you’re in good company. For years, polls have consistently shown that 8 in 10 Americans believe that union membership and dues payment should be strictly voluntary.
Those who see unions up close every day agree, too. In a national poll conducted before the 2024 election, 79% of current union members said they agreed with the statement, “Workers should never be forced to join a union or pay dues to a union as a condition of employment.”
Fortunately, state employees in Delaware and across the country have enjoyed right-to-work protections since the 2018 Janus v. AFSCME U.S. Supreme Court decision. In that case, the court ruled in favor of Mark Janus and his National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation attorney who argued the case, finding that the First Amendment protects individuals from being forced to fund union activities as a condition of working for the government.
But, unfortunately, those who work in Delaware’s private sector can still be forced to pay money to union bosses or be fired. This not only denies individual workers the basic freedom to decide for themselves whether union officials deserve their financial support, but granting union bosses such coercion over employees also undermines economic growth and opportunity in Delaware.
According to a recent analysis of government economic data by the National Institute for Labor Relations Research, from 2015-25, the percentage growth in the number of people employed in right-to-work states was almost three times that of forced-unionism states, like Delaware. Over those same years, right-to-work states saw a 7.7% overall increase in manufacturing payroll employment, while forced-unionism states suffered a 2.9% decline in factory payrolls.
The NILRR report also found that the rate of dependency on federal welfare (Temporary Aid for Needy Families) is nearly five times higher in forced-unionism states than in right-to-work states. Also, as a share of population, there are fewer than half as many authorizations for new single-family housing construction in forced-dues states as in right-to-work states. Moreover, after adjusting for regional differences in cost-of-living, residents of right-to-work states had roughly $3,500 more in disposable income per capita in 2025 than those in states that lack right-to-work laws.
The economic benefits of right-to-work speak for themselves, but this isn’t just about boosting the economy. At their core, right-to-work laws protect and empower worker freedom, giving individual workers a tool to hold the union accountable: When union officials fail to advance a worker’s interests, they risk losing the worker’s financial support.
Right-to-work laws don’t outlaw labor unions, nor do they prevent anyone from joining one.
They simply codify a popular, commonsense principle: Every worker should have the choice to decide whether to join and fund a labor union.
This Labor Day, take a moment to reflect on the injustices that workers in Delaware might be up against every day. Consider how right-to-work laws would not only protect their choice over whether to join and fund a labor union but also boost economic growth and opportunity.
This Labor Day, Delaware workers deserve more than just our appreciation; they deserve the protection of a right-to-work law.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
