: opposing or banning the closed shop and the union shop

Examples of right-to-work in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Under his leadership, Democrats have crafted new gun laws, established a statewide clean energy target and repealed Michigan’s right-to-work law. Detroit Free Press, 16 July 2024 Four years after Act 10 passed, Republicans approved a right-to-work law that limited the power of private-sector unions. Jessie Opoien, Journal Sentinel, 3 July 2024 In recent years, conservative legislators and governors in Michigan and Wisconsin, two states in which Trump scored surprise victories, have hastened the decline of unions by passing right-to-work laws, which prevent unions from requiring employees of unionized firms to pay dues. Foreign Affairs, 17 Apr. 2017 Many football powerhouses, like the University of Alabama and the University of Georgia, are in right-to-work states, where unionization efforts face stiff legal and political roadblocks. Santul Nerkar, New York Times, 25 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for right-to-work 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'right-to-work.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of right-to-work was in 1949

Dictionary Entries Near right-to-work

Cite this Entry

“Right-to-work.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/right-to-work. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.

Legal Definition

right-to-work

adjective
: of, relating to, or being a law prohibiting labor agreements that require all employees to be union members
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