The libertarian position is that government should be totally neutral whenever there is a conflict between labor and management.
Unfortunately, politicians usually tilt the playing field in favor of unions, largely in response to big campaign contributions.
This issue has been in the news because of the Obama Administration’s thuggish move to block Boeing from building a factory in South Carolina, so this is a good time to post this debate I had with one of the guys at the Brookings Institution.
The fight in Wisconsin was the starting point for the discussion, and if you’ve been following that debate, you’ll very much enjoy this cartoon.
[…] rule, I’m completely neutral about private-sector unions. As I argued in this interview, the federal government should not take sides or tilt the playing field when unions and management […]
[…] Yes, we think workers should be able to use any non-coercive tactic to get the maximum pay, including joining unions. And we also recognize the right of employers to use non-coercive tactics to keep costs down. But note that I include “non-coercive” in my analysis. That’s because no employee should be forced to remain at a company that doesn’t pay enough, and no employer should be forced to hire any particular worker or deal with any particular union. Market forces should determine those choices. […]
[…] a point I’ve made before (here, here, here, here, here, and here), so there’s no need to elaborate on that […]
[…] a point I’ve made before (here, here, here, here, here, and here), so there’s no need to elaborate on that […]
[…] rule, I’m completely neutral about private-sector unions. As I argued in this interview, the federal government should not take sides or tilt the playing field when unions and management […]
[…] one might even say, and I’ve certainly expressed these views on television (see here, here, and […]
[…] rule, I’m completely neutral about private-sector unions. As I argued in this interview, the federal government should not take sides or tilt the playing field when unions and management […]