Republicans in Congress plan to introduce legislation Wednesday that would prohibit workers nationwide from being forced to support a union.

The national right-to-work legislation likely would be a major blow to organized labor because it would allow millions of workers to opt out of union membership for the first time.

Reps. Joe Wilson of South Carolina and Steve King of Iowa are sponsoring the legislation, which would amend the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act to prohibit what unions call "security clauses." These are provisions that permit union-management contracts that require all employees to join a union or pay one a regular fee as a condition of employment.

"At least 80 percent of Americans are opposed to forcing employees to pay dues as a condition of their employment, and our bill would protect workers by eliminating the forced-dues clauses in federal statute. Right-to-work states, like South Carolina, have seen first-hand that job creation and economic growth comes from expanded freedoms. We need to expand common-sense reforms, like those in the National Right to Work Act to protect American workers and create jobs," Wilson told the Washington Examiner.

Read more on WashingtonExaminer.com