Molehill Mountain Episode 23 – Let’s Switch It Up

Haven’t listened to it all yet, so I might have other comments later. I do have one follow-up question for EZK about labor unions: So, what’s the Libertarian position on right-to-work laws*? I would guess that they’re against these laws, as they represent government intrusion on a private contract, but I’d like to hear your (and the party’s) thoughts on it.

*For those that don’t know, right-to-work laws are laws that state that employers can’t make paying union dues a condition of employment (so it’s really right-to-work-without-paying-union dues). This generally has the effect of kneecapping unions, as they can only bargain for employees en masse, but can’t force employees to pay dues. So, it’s in any individual employee’s benefit to not pay dues, which means the union will have trouble funding its activities. A lot of people equate this with things like employers being able to fire employees at will, but this isn’t actually in the laws themselves. Rather, it’s a side effect of the fact that most employees won’t have union protection.

Considering they are used to protect the right of an individual to work without a union membership, they are fine. So far, I have heard of no cases where these laws have resulted in anything contrary to their stated goal. However, I can see how there might be problems with the lack of such employee protections. If you lived in a state without a right to work law and you fellow employees decided to unionize but you were against it, then you would be out of a job unless you went against your conscience and joined. That is a violation of the association rights of the individual.

Hmm, okay, I see where you’re coming from. Thanks for the response.