20 June 2018

Anti-union 'right to work' (RTW) laws in the US lead to a significant increase in workplace mortality, a new study has found.

Research at Harvard University found that deaths at work rose by 14.2% where union membership was diminished due to RTW legislation.

"The paper demonstrates that the protective effect of unions on workplace safety at the micro level translates into large scale reductions in occupational fatalities," author Michael Zoorob noted.

The article, published in the British Medical Journal, went on: "Though worker fatalities have declined in the last two decades in the USA, this decline has been steeper in states with higher levels of unionisation.

"Moreover, this study shows that RTW legislation, under consideration in many state legislatures and nationwide, may lead to greater workplace mortality through decreasing the percentage of unionised workers.

"Indeed, worker fatalities have climbed somewhat since 2008, a reversal from previous years, during the same period that several states adopted RTW.

"In light of these findings, policymakers in the USA and other countries might consider how declining unionisation rates may impact worker safety."

Read more about workplace safety and at Hazards Campaign and Hazards Magazine