Ford vows repeal of Nevada's 'right-to-work' law if elected governor

Attorney General Aaron Ford (D) said in previously unreported comments during a podcast interview that if elected governor, he would be "getting rid of" Nevada's long-standing "right-to-work" law, which prohibits labor unions and employers from requiring union membership for employment but has been criticized for allowing non-dues-paying workers to "freeload" off union-won benefits.

Ford, the Democratic favorite challenging Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) in Nevada's upcoming gubernatorial election, said during a 53-minute interview on a podcast hosted by construction worker union leaders that he would sign a repeal of the law enacted by voter initiative in 1953.

"The moment you send it to me — first term, I ain't waiting," Ford said during the GangboX podcast last December. "It can be done legislatively. They can send me a bill. And if they send it to me, I'm signing it."

Enacted more than 70 years ago, Nevada's "right-to-work" law followed the 1947 federal Taft-Hartley Act, which allowed individual states to adopt an "open shop" rule under which an employee could not be compelled to join a union or pay dues, or be fired for joining a union. 

Supporters of "right-to-work" laws have said workers shouldn't be compelled to join any organization as a condition of holding a job, and that it can harm economic efficiency and drive up employers' costs. Opponents of the law have criticized it as being designed to limit labor unions' power, curtail workers' rights, worsen benefits and wages, and allow workers to benefit from a union without participating in it.

In a statement, Ford said repealing the law would be one of the first steps to restoring workers' rights and strengthening Nevadans' ability to organize and negotiate better pay and benefits.

"As Senate Majority Leader, I fought to extend collective bargaining rights to Nevada state employees," he said. "Nevada's world-class workers built the middle class — and I will honor their hard work for our state by being the most pro-worker Governor in our state's history."

There are 27 states with "right-to-work" laws; 16 enacted them before 1956. In the 1950s, voters defeated three attempts at repealing the law, and since 1959, the Nevada Legislature has considered and rejected at least 10 measures to amend or repeal it.

Richard Bryan (D) — who served as a U.S. senator, governor and attorney general during his decades-long career — said the issue was very controversial in the 1950s, but he doesn't recall it being much of a topic when he was in office.

"I just don't recall it ever coming up for discussion in terms of my own political experience. Certainly not to the point of repeal," he said in an interview. 

Ford has shared his stance on repealing "right-to-work" provisions in union endorsement interviews, sources told The Nevada Independent, but he has not widely publicized it as part of his platform.

Still, his comments mark a departure for a Democratic candidate running statewide; most others in the past have avoided commenting on it. Ford's Democratic primary opponent, Alexis Hill, has been a vocal critic of the state's "right-to-work" law, calling it "Right to Smirk" and pledging on her campaign website to end it.

Marc Ellis, president of the Communication Workers of America Local 9413, told The Nevada Independent that Ford's desire to repeal the law is what earned him the union's endorsement, especially as past Democrats have refused to take a swing at it.

"I applaud Aaron Ford," Ellis said. "He's doing what [former Gov. Steve] Sisolak wouldn't do."

In 2022, Sisolak (D) said during a debate with then-Sheriff Lombardo that he did not anticipate changing Nevada's status as a "right-to-work" state. Lombardo agreed, saying it was a benefit to Nevada's labor community.

A spokesperson for Lombardo's campaign confirmed that his position has not changed.

A 2022 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research found adoption of right to work laws were "associated with a drop of about 4 percentage points in unionization rates five years after adoption, as well as a wage drop of about 1 percent."

Politically powerful business interests have strongly supported "right to work" laws, with the Las Vegas Chamber making maintaining the Silver State's law a key priority since it was implemented. 

In the 2025 edition of its Taking Care of Business magazine, the chamber wrote that the policy "has worked well for decades" and that every Nevadan should be able to decide how their paycheck is spent.

Ellis, who has been the union's legislative and political chair since 2014, described the law as "anti-worker to the bone" and said overturning it is as simple as lawmakers voting to remove the statute, but that willingness hasn't been there.

Democrats held control of the state Senate, Assembly and governor's mansion in 2019 but still didn't pull the trigger, he said, because he was told Sisolak was waiting until his second term. 

Most recently, the Michigan Legislature repealed the state's "right-to-work" law, which took effect on Feb. 12, 2024.

This time, with Ford taking the public stance he did, Ellis said there's more hope for success.

"We've just got to make sure that we get the right people in there," he said. "Not just at the governor, but the governor is critical, and Aaron Ford is the pivotal piece in the state of Nevada."