North Carolina is one of 20 states with a "right-to-work" law. The North Carolina law reads:
| "It is hereby declared to be the public policy of North Carolina that the right of persons to work shall not be denied or abridged on account of membership or non-membership in any labor union or labor organization or association." |
Closed shop and union shop agreements are not permitted. An employer may not require an employee to join a union, nor may an employer require an employee to refrain from joining a union.
The membership rate in unions in North Carolina is among the lowest in the nation, at 4.8% of employed residents. Union elections in North Carolina have declined 66% from a high of 113 in 1979 to 38 in 1993. The number of elections resulting in the unionization of the workforce has similarly declined 60% from a high of 45 in 1979 to 18 in 1993.
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