Are so-called “right-to-work” laws the equivalent of slavery? That’s one argument Big Labor is making to try to counter them. Their case is an absurd stretch, but nevertheless worth looking at because it serves as a good primer on what these laws actually do.

Right-to-work laws prohibit individual workers from being required to either join a union or pay dues to one as a condition of employment. In other words, without right-to-work laws, if you want a job at a unionized workplace, you have to support its union.