Notre Dame’s Higgins Program report responds to right-to-work legislation | News | Notre Dame News | University of Notre Dame Skip To Content Skip To Navigation Skip To Search University of Notre Dame Notre Dame News Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Home Contact Search Menu Home › News › Notre Dame’s Higgins Program report responds to right-to-work legislation Notre Dame’s Higgins Program report responds to right-to-work legislation Published: March 17, 2011 Author: Notre Dame News The University of Notre Dame’s Higgins Labor Studies Program recently released a report in response to the Indiana Chamber of Commerce’s position on right-to-work (RTW) legislation considered by the Indiana legislature. If passed, the legislation would prevent unions and employers from negotiating a requirement that employees pay their “fair share” for union costs such as collective bargaining and grievance representation. The Higgins report, “Right-to-Work vs. The Rights of Workers,” recently was presented to workers and other citizens rallying in Indianapolis as well as to Indiana legislators and leaders from the AFL-CIO and the UFCW. The Indiana Chamber’s report promoting RTW legislation states that RTW would raise incomes for Indiana residents by attracting businesses to Indiana, which would promote economic growth, leading – in the long run – to higher wages. The Higgins report asserts that the direct result of a RTW law would be a reduction in wages. It criticizes the notion that the best way to raise wages is to first lower wages and questions the “low-road” approach to economic development and economic theory on which it asserts the Chamber’s report is based. Citing papal encyclicals from 1891 to 2009, the Higgins report states that the Catholic Church’s support for labor unions is longstanding and unequivocal. Among its findings, the Higgins report outlines how right-to-work legislation has “led to stagnating wage levels and deteriorating conditions for workers.” Catholic social teaching emphasizes the dignity of work which promotes fair wages and which often occurs best through organized communities. The Higgins report also cited problems and inconsistencies in the Chamber’s data analysis, in particular the attempt to demonstrate that RTW states have higher rates of growth of real personal income than do non-RTW states. Using its own analysis, the Higgins report found that growth rates for real personal income were actually higher in RTW states before RTW laws were passed than after. The report also notes that broadening the analysis to consider levels of income rather than just rates of change shows that non-RTW states have a higher level of income than do RTW states. Contact: Marty Wolfson, director of Higgins Labor Studies Program, mwolfson@nd.edu, 574-631-8093 Posted In: Research Home Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Related October 05, 2022 Astrophysicists find evidence for the presence of the first stars October 04, 2022 NIH awards $4 million grant to psychologists researching suicide prevention September 29, 2022 Notre Dame, Ukrainian Catholic University launch three new research grants September 27, 2022 Notre Dame, Trinity College Dublin engineers join to advance novel treatment for cystic fibrosis September 22, 2022 Climate-prepared countries are losing ground, latest ND-GAIN index shows For the Media Contact Office of Public Affairs and Communications Notre Dame News 500 Grace Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Pinterest © 2022 University of Notre Dame Search Mobile App News Events Visit Accessibility Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn