# Right-to-work states

Source: https://storiara.com/glossary/right-to-work-states
Last updated: 2026-09-14
Author: Nick Harty, Storiara

> Right-to-work states are US states with laws that prohibit union-security agreements, meaning an employee can't be required to join a union or pay union fees as a condition of employment. Federal law lets states pass these laws under the Taft-Hartley Act. As of 2026, 26 states have them. Michigan repealed its law in February 2024.

## The legal mechanics

The 1947 [Taft-Hartley](https://storiara.com/glossary/taft-hartley) Act lets unions and employers sign union-security agreements, which require covered employees to become members or pay fees within 30 days of hire. The same law lets states ban those agreements. Where a state has, the NLRB says each employee decides whether to join and pay dues, and the union still represents everyone covered by the contract.

The count has changed recently. The NLRB's own page still says 27 states. Michigan's repeal took effect in February 2024, and the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation's list now shows 26 states plus Guam. When you need a firm answer for a specific state, check that state's labor department.

## What it means for a film production

Many of the biggest US production hubs outside California and New York are right-to-work states: Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Nevada, Utah, and others. The [tax incentives guide](https://storiara.com/blog/best-states-for-film-tax-incentives) shows how many of them overlap with major credit programs.

On the ground, a signatory production in Atlanta works under the same SAG-AFTRA and IATSE agreements it would use elsewhere, with rates and terms set by the agreement. What differs is the membership side. A crew member or performer who takes a union job in a right-to-work state generally can't be compelled to join or pay fees by that job. That's why the SAG-AFTRA [must-join](https://storiara.com/glossary/must-join) concept plays out differently there, and why the union publishes separate guidance for performers in states like Arizona, Utah, Tennessee, and Kentucky.

## Common confusions

Right-to-work doesn't mean non-union. Plenty of union production happens in these states, and union members there still follow their union's rules, including SAG-AFTRA's Global Rule One.

It also isn't the same as [financial core](https://storiara.com/glossary/financial-core). Fi-core is a federal option for workers anywhere covered by a union-security agreement. Right-to-work is a state ban on those agreements.

Where the work happens matters more than where the worker lives, but the rules get complicated for performers who live in one state and work in another. Performers in that situation should ask the union's local office, and producers should ask their labor counsel before relying on right-to-work status for any hiring decision.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which states are right-to-work?

According to the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, plus the territory of Guam.

### Can SAG-AFTRA members in right-to-work states do non-union work?

Global Rule One still applies to people who choose to be members, wherever they live. Right-to-work laws affect whether someone can be required to join, not the rules members agree to. SAG-AFTRA publishes state-specific explanations.

### Are union crews available in right-to-work states?

Yes. Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas all have active IATSE locals and union productions. Right-to-work affects membership requirements, not whether productions can sign union agreements.

## Sources

- [National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation: Right to Work States](https://www.nrtw.org/right-to-work-states/)
- [NLRB: Union dues and union-security agreements](https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/rights-we-protect/the-law/employees/union-dues)
- [SAG-AFTRA: Global Rule One](https://www.sagaftra.org/contracts-industry-resources/global-rule-one)