"In the first study on this topic that we published in 2023, we found that increasing levels of union membership tends to make working-class people happier. We zeroed in on a question in the General Social Survey, which the University of Chicago makes available. It asks respondents to choose whether they are "very happy," "somewhat happy" or "not at all happy" with their life."
"We found that, from 1993 to 2018, when the share of workers in counties along the borders of states with and without right-to-work laws who belong to unions rose by 1 percentage point, the average level of happiness for low-income residents moved 15% closer toward being "very happy"-a seemingly modest but noticeable change. Right-to-work laws let workers skip paying union dues when they're employed by a company that has negotiated a contract with a labor union. In states without right-to-work laws, those dues are mandatory."
Declining union membership and weakened union power affect more than wages and job security; they also harm public health and reduce life satisfaction. Increased unionization raises happiness among working-class and low-income residents: from 1993 to 2018, a one percentage point rise in county-level union membership along state right-to-work borders moved average low-income happiness 15% closer to "very happy." Right-to-work laws allow workers to skip union dues, weakening collective bargaining and lowering membership. The happiness effect was not significant for higher-income people. Event-study methods examined states that adopted right-to-work laws between 2001 and 2015 to identify effects.
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