Union Monopoly Bargaining Is the Real Evil
Much that is written about American
labor unions is misleading because it
assumes they operate like other private,
nonprofit organizations.
In almost all respects, this assumption
is false. For example, affiliation with
private organizations is, the vast majority
of the time, a purely personal decision.
But under federal labor law, union
affiliation is primarily a collective, rather
than a personal, decision.
Under American traditions of limited
government, your decision to contribute
your household's money to a charity, a
political campaign, or a single-issue
lobbying organization is made individually,
or together with your spouse or solicitor.
Your neighbors, fellow employees, or
business associates may offer advice, but do
not get a chance to vote on which private
groups you support or don't support.
U.S. labor laws empower pro-union
employees who constitute a majority
within a government-delineated
"bargaining unit" to force other employees
who don't want a union to accept a
particular union as their "exclusive"
(monopoly) bargaining agent in their
dealings with their employer.
Furthermore, once a monopolybargaining agent is in place, under federal
law it and the employer are legally
authorized to agree to fire employees who
refuse to pay dues or fees to the union.
Public Overwhelmingly Opposes
Union Monopoly Bargaining
Apologists for current labor laws
typically cite "majority rule" as the
rationale for forcing unwanted union
monopoly bargaining and forced dues or
fees on employees who don't wish to join
a union.
Under our constitutional system,
majority rule normally controls only the
affairs of government or the internal
affairs of a private association. The
invocation of majority rule to force
unwilling persons into membership in or
financial support for a private organization
is not normally accepted.
For example, the decision by the
majority of businesses based in a small
town to join and pay dues to the Chamber
of Commerce doesn't give them the legal
power, under any federal or state statute,
to force the remaining businesses to join
or pay dues.
Credit: www.robotsandwrestlers.com
Privilege Tramples Worker Rights, Regardless of How It's Obtained
The National Right to Work Committee
opposes union monopoly power, and not
just how Big Labor gets it.
Furthermore, opinion polls have
shown for many years that the general
public overwhelmingly opposes union
monopoly bargaining.
'Card-Check' Legislation
Designed to Expand the
Monopoly-Bargaining System
A December 2006 nationwide survey
conducted by veteran pollster Del Ali and
his firm Research 2000 found that 81% of
Americans who regularly vote in statewide
elections believe that employees in
unionized businesses who do not want to
be union-represented should retain the
right to bargain for themselves.
While the American people are
clearly against monopoly bargaining,
union officials and their apologists are
for it and want far more of it.
So-called "card-check" measures
(H.R.800 and S.1041 in the current
Congress) that are now at the top of Big
Labor's legislative wish list are designed to
enable union organizers to secure
monopoly-bargaining power over millions
of now-independent employees.
Right to Work Committee
Leads Opposition to
Card-Check Measure
Thankfully, the National Right to
Work Committee's 2.2 million members
are leading the opposition to the cardcheck scheme because it would help union
bosses corral even more employees under
union monopoly control.
Unfortunately, however, nearly every
other group opposed to card-check
legislation accepts monopoly bargaining
in principle and aims only to restrict Big
Labor's use of card checks as a means of
acquiring monopoly-bargaining power.
"Right to Work members understand
that monopoly bargaining itself, and not
the means by which union officials
acquire that special privilege, is the real
evil," commented National Right to
Work Committee President Mark Mix.
Newsletter readers who are eager to
learn more about the card-check threat
may do so by visiting www.nrtwc.org -the Committee's web site.
NATIONAL RIGHT TO WORK NEWSLETTER
www.nrtwc.org
Written and Distributed by:
National Right to Work Committee®
8001 Braddock Road
Springfield, Va. 22160
E-mail: [email protected]
Mark Mix. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . President
Reed Larson . . . . . . . . . . . Exec. Cmte. Chairman
Stephen Goodrick. . . . . . . . . . . . Vice President
Matthew Leen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vice President
Doug Stafford. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vice President
Stanley Greer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Newsletter Editor
Editorial comments only: [email protected]
September 2008
Contact the Membership De­partment by phoning
1-800-325-RTWC (7892) or (703) 321-9820, or faxing
(703) 321-7143, if you wish to:
•Report address changes or corrections
•Receive the NEWSLETTER or request, renew,
or cancel Committee membership
•Obtain more information
Because of NRTWC's tax-exempt status under IRC Sec. 501 (C)
(4) and its state and federal legislative activities, contributions
are not tax deductible as charitable contributions (IRC § 170) or
as business deductions (IRC § 162(e)(1)).
© 2008 by the National Right to Work Committee®. Permission
to reprint individual articles granted. Credit requested.
National Right to Work Newsletter – September 2008
5