[Click here for PDF version]

The Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF) today released the Index of Worker Freedom: a National Report Card, a one-of-a-kind state-by-state comparative study that measures worker freedom through an analysis of policy implications as well as quantitative state data.

The Index found that workers and employers are fleeing states with low levels of worker freedom--generally heavily unionized states-- in favor of states with high levels of worker freedom. States ranked in the top quintile of worker freedom saw their population grow 50 percent faster than the national average and 150 percent faster than states in the bottom quintile between the 2008-2009 period.

“The positive correlation found between state population growth and worker freedom is proof that Americans are rejecting organized labor’s growth inhibiting policies; people are being drawn to states that foster choice and entrepreneurship,” said Christopher Prandoni, Executive Director of the Alliance for Worker Freedom.

Evaluated on a scale using fifteen key indicators, the Index’s average score was a C grade while the median score was a D. Thirteen states failed while Utah was the only state to earn an A, scoring a perfect fifteen. 

“The Index of Worker Freedom is great tool for citizens, policy makers, and scholars interested in examining and comparing state labor policy,”Prandoni added. “Compiling data and statistics from a variety of different sources, the Index provides a comprehensive but easily understandable ‘snapshot’ of worker freedom in any given state.”