The recent passage of Right to Work legislation in Kentucky is a significant blow to the future of national organized labor, according to labor law expert Ariana Levinson, a Brandeis School of Law professor at the University of Louisville. Kentucky is the 27th state, and the last in the south, to enact the union-weakening policy – which has expanded significantly in the last decade.

“Unions are weaker than they were in the 1950s,” said Levinson. “What’s more, support of Right to Work laws by conservatives and special interest groups have provided momentum for such laws to pass. There’s plenty of misinformation out there. Even the name of the law is a misnomer.”

According to The Huffington Post, the Kentucky law means that workers would not be required to pay union dues even while working in “union shop,” essentially gutting the union political negotiating power.

Levinson is available to media to discuss how RTW laws came about, how they affect workers and companies and what’s likely to happen next. She can also comment on the recent trend of local right to work ordinances.

Levinson is also available to discuss three labor law related cases to be heard this term by the U.S. Supreme Court ‎that will determine whether employers may include class/collective action waivers in their arbitration agreements. Multiple federal appeals courts have been split on the issue.For more information, contact Levinson at [email protected] or (323) 304-7118.