Shifting Terms in the Debate Over Union Power
With so many states facing crushing budget deficits and unsustainable growth in spending, governors and state legislatures across the nation are finally taking the lead and beginning to combat the exorbitant power of organized labor. These steps are being driven not only by necessity, but because the American people are beginning to recognize the radical agenda of labor unions that seek to deny workers the fundamental right to choose their own terms of employment. Even those on the far left are falling into this trend, as a demonstrated by a recent article in The Nation Magazine.
In discussing ways to halt the decline in organized labor’s power over the last several decades, the author makes several unknowing concessions to the benefits of promoting individual freedom in the workplace. Let’s take a look at the left’s characterization of some of the important steps being taken throughout the country:
- On right to work legislation: “In technical terms, this legislation makes it illegal for employers to condition employment on union membership.”
- On paycheck protection: these laws “ban public employee unions from collecting dues unless the unions first prove that none of the money will be used for supporting election campaigns.”
- On PLA’s: “These measures facilitate collective bargaining and the division of labor for unionized construction jobs, particularly construction jobs with public financing.”
Put this way, it seems preposterous that even those on the far left could legitimately oppose any of these measures that are so desperately needed to protect the rights of individual workers. In fact, it seems almost as if their only source of opposition could be that these changes make it more difficult for organized labor, particularly within the public sector, to take money from the pockets of hard working Americans in order to fund a radical liberal political agenda!
One thing that is clear is that the left is in complete denial of the shift taking place in public understanding. As the article states, “good organizing is really the only way that workers, the unemployed and the poor can overcome the impulse to blame themselves for the crisis they face.” It is certainly true that workers should not blame themselves for the hard choices that so many states are having to make. Instead, they should blame the union bosses who have repeatedly refused compromise and done nothing but crush the freedoms of those they claim to represent.
More and more Americans are beginning to recognize the two distinct sides in this important debate. There are those who stand with the bullying tactics and power hungry motives of organized labor bosses, bent on taking power out of the hands of hard working Americans. On the other side are those who stand with the right of free choice for the individual worker. According to the author, “it isn’t as if these types of attacks on unions are new; what’s different is their scale, intensity and real possibility of success.” For the sake of workers everywhere, let’s hope this is true.
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