Today, you and your loved ones might be shopping for back-to-school supplies or gathering for your annual barbeque. While you’re out shopping, consider all the workers in your state that make your day possible — the clerks, shelf stockers, truck drivers, factory workers, and others — and that each can be legally forced to pay union dues or else be fired.

You see, New Hampshire is one of the 23 forced-unionism states remaining in America. Since New Hampshire hasn’t passed a Right to Work law to ensure union membership and financial support are strictly voluntary, a union boss can legally have a worker fired for not paying union dues or fees.

If you think this sounds unjust, you’re hardly alone. Poll after poll consistently demonstrates that 8 in 10 Americans agree that it’s wrong to subject workers to this kind of union coercion.

Polling of union members shows they also back Right to Work, with 80 percent agreeing that workers “should never be forced or coerced to join or pay dues as a condition of employment.”

Since the 2018 landmark U.S. Supreme Court Janus v. AFSCME decision, all public employees have enjoyed First Amendment protection against being compelled to make union payments. But private sector workforces in forced-unionism states can still be subjected to compulsory payments to union officials to keep their jobs.

There are currently 27 Right to Work states in America, including five new states added in the past decade. These states have passed and implemented laws to repeal Big Labor’s special power to force workers to pay union bosses fees as a condition of employment.

The lack of forced unionism gives Right to Work states an economic advantage.

According to a National Institute for Labor Relations Research (NILRR) report, drawing on data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of individuals employed from 2011 to 2021 grew more than twice as rapidly in Right to Work states: 13.2% in Right to Work states versus only 5.7% in states that permit a worker to be fired for not paying a union official.

Furthermore, the NILRR analysis found that after adjusting for the cost of living, workers in Right to Work states have $3,400 more in per capita disposable income and over $4,000 in additional after-tax household income than their counterparts in forced unionism states.

With more jobs and more money in workers’ pockets, it isn’t shocking that workers are fleeing forced-unionism states to the opportunities Right to Work states can provide. From 2011 to 2021, Right to Work states saw their aggregate population of people in their peak earning years (35-54) grow by 3.5%, even as the population for this demographic decreased by 4.2% in non-Right to Work states.

Right to Work laws do not outlaw labor unions, nor do they prevent any worker from joining a labor union if they voluntarily choose. Right to Work laws simply codify one commonsense principle: Every worker should have the choice to join a labor union, but no worker should be forced to pay fees to a union as a condition of employment.

So as you celebrate Labor Day with your loved ones, reflect on the benefits that Right to Work brings to workers. Consider your neighbor that might land a newly created job. Consider what $4,000 could mean for your family in this recession. Consider the individual worker who would no longer have to choose between keeping their job and paying dues to a union they oppose.

Demand your elected officials embrace worker freedom and economic opportunity. Help make New Hampshire a Right to Work state.

Mark Mix is president of the National Right to Work Committee.