Saturday, August 18, 2012

Right to Work and Individual Rights

The Right to Work clause came into existence in 1935, embedded in the Taft-Hartely Law.  It means that (a) employees may not be forced to join a union, that (b) employers need not hire only those who agree to join a union, and (c) that employers need not fire employees for failing to join a union or pay union dues.
For over half a century, the clause was ignored.  Union bosses and their political allies forced employers to fire those who did not join a union or pay dues to a union, and they forced employees to join a union as a condition of employment and to pay union dues.
With millions of employees federally forced to join unions and pay dues, unions had massive funds, which would vanish if the Right to Work clause were implemented.  So union bosses lobbied ferociously, bribing and threatening politicians to repeal the Right to Work clause.
But for the same number of years, consistently favoring the Right to Work, the electorate voted out of office those politicians who supported its repeal.
After years of struggle, Idaho -- apparently the first state to take action -- put the RTW clause on the ballot in 1986.  The electorate voted for it overwhelmingly.  Today, 23 states have enacted Right to Work.
What benefits, if any, accrued to them?

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