How State Policy Is Reshaping America’s Future: Jonathan Williams on The Hugh Hewitt Show

Appearing on The Hugh Hewitt Show, ALEC President and Chief Economist Jonathan Williams discussed the latest edition of the ALEC States That Work labor report, breaking down the rankings and what states can learn from each other on labor policy.

Before introducing the new labor report, Hewitt and Williams addressed the New York City Mayoral race and what Zohran Mamdani’s recent primary win could mean for New York’s economic future and ranking in ALEC’s Rich States, Poor States. New York has consistently ranked 50^th in the report, and Williams fears a Mamdani leadership would mean the Empire State would remain at the bottom, especially with the schemes Mamdani has proposed, like state-run grocery stores.

“Talk about bringing back the bread lines, right from the days of socialism,” said Williams. “Maybe in New York, the cooler heads will prevail, and there’ll be some discussions of others that will unite a more rational common-sense agenda.”

Williams then explained the focus of ALEC’s labor report, which states won and lost in the rankings, and why they ranked where they did. To rank the 50 states on how they prioritize labor policy and worker freedom, the publication provides a snapshot and ranking of each state’s labor policies and landscape. Using this information, workers, businesses, and lawmakers can identify if a state’s policies are hindering or protecting worker freedom and flexibility. The publication also includes trusted policy solutions developed by ALEC’s Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force to expand worker and workplace freedom.

“This is an annual publication, similar to Rich States, Poor States or our publication on education freedom that we’ve talked about many times, for states to rank themselves on policies like Right to Work and occupational licensing issues and the idea of collective bargaining and how much power public sector unions should have,” Williams explained.

Arizona ranked first in this year’s edition, with Alaska ranked 50^th. A major policy factor at play in the report is whether a state has Right to Work protections or not. States that have these protections ensure that no employee needs to join or pay dues to a union, or refrain from joining a union, as a condition of employment.

Utah was another bright spot in the report, ranking second overall.

“This is a great Utah story from this year, where Utah, this session, became only the third state in the country to say public sector workers probably shouldn’t have the idea of being able to collectively bargain,” said Williams. “At the end of the day, if you’re a public sector worker, who are you bargaining with? Where are taxpayers at that table between government and between public sector unions? So, the people that come out last in that equation, unfortunately, are America’s hard-working taxpayers.”

Williams went on to say that Right to Work laws are key for creating jobs and fostering economic growth at the state level.

“We also share a variable of Right to Work in the Rich States, Poor States publication because we think it’s that important for the growth of states,” said Williams. “A lot of job creators will say, I’m not going to even consider a state for an investment unless it’s a Right to Work state.”

Hewitt and Williams closed out their discussion acknowledging New Hampshire’s recent education policy win, becoming the 17^th state in the nation to adopt universal school choice legislation.

“The Live Free or Die State is living up to its motto to give every parent, every student, the opportunity to apply for an education savings account, to have dollars to spend on the public, private, charter, or home school of their choice. The new law grants real flexibility for those Granite State residents, something that Governor Ayotte has championed,” said Williams. “It couldn’t have been done without the hard work of so many across this country and so many of the ALEC men and women out there leading this effort.”