Most employment-based laws (such as wage-and-hour, fair-employment and the like) are applied according to the state in which an individual works. According to the Illinois Public Labor Relations Act, public employees have the right to form or join labor unions or refrain from doing so.Not all states have "right to work" laws. Learn what these laws mean, how they impact unions, and whether your state has a 'right to work' law at FindLaw. What are right-to-work states? Right-to-work is a term describing state legislation that prohibits employees from being required to join or financially support a labor union. Click on a Right to Work state below to read that state's Right to Work law. (Links are to the current active Right to Work provisions in state law. Use Form I9 to verify the identity and employment authorization of individuals hired for employment in the United States. The. Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act) was passed to prevent workers from being killed or otherwise harmed at work.