U.S. Chamber Study Spotlights Union Favoritism in State Laws

Examines exemptions for criminal activity, systematic carve outs for unions 

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Workforce Freedom Initiative today released a new study: “Sabotage, Stalking and Stealth Exemptions: Special State Laws for Labor Unions,” spotlighting unusual state laws that uniquely benefit labor unions.  The study highlights numerous exemptions from criminal statutes, as well as policies that provide structural favoritism toward labor unions in the states with the highest union density.

“This report highlights a number of state policies that benefit unions but seem to defy common sense, such as exemptions from stalking and trespassing laws and backroom deals to unionize home health care providers,” said Glenn Spencer, vice president of the Workforce Freedom Initiative. 

The study spotlights laws exempting what would otherwise be considered criminal activity, such as Pennsylvania’s union exemption for stalking, California’s multiple labor exemptions for trespassing, and West Virginia’s exemption for violating an individual’s civil rights during a labor dispute.

The report also examines structural favoritism, such as Pennsylvania’s prohibition on court injunctions stopping an unlawful conspiracy in a labor dispute and policies in Illinois and Michigan that forced home health care providers into paying union dues.

View the full report: “Sabotage, Stalking and Stealth Exemptions: Special State Laws for Labor Unions” at www.workforcefreedom.com/statelaws