Taft-Hartley Act

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Passage

The Taft-Hartley Act, passed by the United States Congress in 1947, gave states the power to enact “right-to-work” legislation that prohibits union shop agreements. According to such an agreement, a labor union negotiates wages and working conditions for all workers in a business, and all workers are required to belong to the their suppliers can act collusively in competitive labor markets, thus lowering wages in the affected industries.

Such a finding has important implications regarding the demographics of employment and wages in right-to-work states. Specifically, if right-to-work laws lower wages by weakening union power, minority workers can be expected to suffer a relatively greater economic disadvantage in right-to-work states than in union shop states. This is so because, contrary to there is strong economic growth in right-to-work states, creating labor shortages and thereby driving up wages.

What this question is testing

Locate Detail

Your task

Pin down exactly what the question asks about the passage — a detail, the author's view, the structure, or the main point — before looking at the choices.

Common trap

Answers that restate a true detail from the passage but don't answer the specific question being asked.

Winning move

Anticipate the answer in your own words from the passage, then find the choice that matches that prediction.

Reading along? Open the full official question in LawHub — we show a fragment here and keep the reasoning in our own words.

The question

According to the passage, which one of the following is true of

Answer choices

Contradicted: negligible effect4% picked this
It implies that right-to-work laws have had a negligible effect on workers
"Carroll argues that the right-to-work laws 'do matter' in that such laws generate differences in real wages across states".
4%
Too Strong: significantly decreased4% picked this
It demonstrates that right-to-work laws have significantly decreased union membership from what it once was
Some people think that right-to-work laws have had little impact, because they assume "If these laws are not significantly reducing union membership within a state, then they have no effect". Carroll is arguing, "even if they don't significantly reduce membership, they still do have an effect (of generating differences in real wages from state to state)." This answer accuses him of saying, "they do significantly reduce membership", which he never said or supported.
4%
Correct86% picked this
It argues that right-to-work laws have affected wages in
Why this is right
Carroll is arguing, "even if these laws don't significantly reduce membership, they still do have an effect (of generating differences in real wages from state to state)." Carroll further says, "right-to-work laws impede the spread of unions and thereby reduce wages within right-to-work states". This is supporting #1 and #3 of our basket of bullet points: - right-to-work laws generate differences in real wages across stages - these laws don't seem to significantly reduce union membership - but these laws impede the spread of unions, which reduces wages - in states that have these laws, manufacturers and suppliers can act collusively to keep wages low
Skill tested: Locate Detail · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.
86%
Opposite: supports earlier1% picked this
It supports the findings of most
Carroll is brought up to go against the grain of the previous researchers. He criticizes their myopic focus and challenges their overall conclusion.
1%
Too Specific: explains mechanisms4% picked this
It explains the mechanisms by which collusion between manufacturers and suppliers
The last of our four bullet points talked about collusion, but the author doesn't provide any detail about the mechanisms by which collusion is accomplished. The author simply says that as a result of right-to-work laws weakening unions, collusion can happen.
4%

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