Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Committee, strongly defended Virginia’s Right-to-Work law and criticized Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger for her consistent opposition to it.
On Tuesday’s edition of The John Fredericks Show, Mix argued that Right-to-Work laws are simple and fair—they allow workers to join unions voluntarily but prevent them from being forced to pay union dues to keep their jobs.
Mix highlighted Spanberger’s legislative record, pointing out that she voted multiple times in Congress to eliminate Right-to-Work protections nationwide, while noting how Right to Work is supported by the vast majority of Virginians.
“The question about Right-to-Work is binary: either I can force you to pay me to work or I can’t. The Right-to-Work law says you can join a union, you can participate if you want, but you can’t lose your job if you don’t pay union dues or fees. Abigail Spanberger seems to think there’s some space in between the payment of some money and the payment of no money when it comes to her position on Right-to-Work because she knowsRight-to-Work is popular,” Mix explained.
Mix explained that states with Right-to-Work laws consistently outperform others in private sector and manufacturing job growth, citing an analysis showing that up to 75 percent of companies looking to relocate or expand prioritize Right-to-Work status in their decision-making.
He said repealing Right-to-Work would not just risk losing current jobs—it would mean losing future opportunities, as companies would avoid investing in a state where forced unionism is allowed.
“We know from site selection experts that literally 75 percent of people looking to expand, invest, and grow jobs in a state, look at Right-to-Work as a primary kickout of that decision making process…Businesses and investors that would be looking at Virginia as a possible site selection would say they’re not going to go there because [the state doesn’t] have a Right-to-Work law,” Mix said.
Another concern Mix raised was the growing political power of unions. He argued that many modern unions have shifted their focus away from workplace issues and are instead pushing radical political agendas using dues money—often without the consent of their members.
He also noted that in states without Right-to-Work protections, unions can automatically deduct dues from paychecks, even from workers who disagree with their political or workplace representation. This, Mix said, amounts to compulsory financial support for organizations with no accountability. He believes voluntary membership leads to stronger, more responsive unions, as workers can hold leadership accountable by choosing whether or not to support them.
“You shouldn’t be compelled to pay dues or fees to a union to get or keep a job,” Mix said.
Concerning the Virginia gubernatorial race, Mix contrasted Spanberger’s position with that of Republican nominee Winsome Earle-Sears, who has publicly committed to defending Right-to-Work.
“[Unions] are big political players. They’re injecting big money into the political system in these elections,” he said. “The governor’s race has got just an absolute pure contrast between individual freedom in the workplace versus forced unionism, and it couldn’t be starker.”
“Winsome Sears has stood up and said she’ll support Right-to-Work. Abigail Spanberger is trying to hedge on that, but her record is clear. She believes in forced unionism, not only in Virginia, but for the rest of the country,” he added.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Virginia Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Editor’s Note: John Fredericks is the Publisher of The Virginia Star.
