On the heels of encouraging news about Louisiana’s economic momentum, the state’s workers have another reason to celebrate. A new report from the Commonwealth Foundation, The Battle for Worker Freedom: Grading State Public Sector Labor Laws, assigned Louisiana a “B” grade for its public sector labor laws; up from a “C” in each of its four previous reports.
What changed? The report cites the strength of Act 756 from the 2026 legislative session that provides public employees with an immediate right to resign and be informed of their right to join or not join a union. Beginning August 1, public employees are allowed to resign their union membership at any time and no longer must wait for a narrow drop window that usually falls at a busy time on the calendar. And, although the state still allows employees to collect dues on behalf of the union, Act 756 requires employers to confirm authorizations for dues deductions with the employee before collecting.
A “B” grade is respectable and above average. But it also means there’s more work to be done to get to an “A” or even an “A+”. The Commonwealth Foundation assigns the coveted “A+” to states that expressly prohibit collective bargaining for some or all classes of government workers. Several southern states have achieved this distinction including our neighbors, Texas and Arkansas. “A” grades are reserved for states that do not expressly prohibit or authorize collective bargaining in state law or have robust union accountability measures, such as mandatory recertification elections. Florida and Mississippi are among the states receiving an “A” in this report.
So how do we get there? There are plenty of opportunities the Louisiana legislature can adopt to strengthen worker protections and provide accountability to taxpayers.
- Recertification elections allow employees to periodically vote on whether they wish to be represented by a union, and if so, which one. Just like voters consider whether their elected officials are doing an adequate job of representing them every few years, public employees can consider whether they are getting their dues worth when it comes to union representation.
- Paycheck protection ends the practice of having a public employee collect dues on behalf of a private organization. While the dues authorization required by Act XX is a step in the right direction, unions count on the fact that it can be difficult to miss money you don’t see leaving your paycheck.
- Prohibition of strikes. Strikes are prohibited for public safety employees, but not other government workers in Louisiana. Because the government holds a monopoly on many services, citizens have nowhere to turn if employees choose to strike. Public employee strikes put the brakes on economic development and precious recent learning gains for students.
- Prohibiting release time. Release time allows public employees to take time away from their jobs to engage in activities that benefit a private organization, not the taxpayers. This right is guaranteed in some collective bargaining agreements, including one recently adopted by the City of New Orleans, which is amid a budget crisis.
