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Fall 2001

ISSN 0890-913X

Volume 17, Number 1

Categories: Fall 2001

Toward Voluntary Unionism

Charles W. Baird, California State University Hayward

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TowardVoluntaryUnionismCharlesW.BairdCaliforniaStateUniversityCHaywardAmericantradeunionismisbasedoncoercionembodiedintheNationalLaborRelationsAct(NLRA).Itsauthorsjustifiedthecoerciononthegroundsthattheinterestsofworkersandemployersarenaturallyinconflict,thatindividualworkershaveaninherentbargainingpowerdisadvantagewithrespecttoemployersthatunionscanredress,andthatunionizationleadstopeacefullaborrelations.TheprincipalinstrumentsofcoercionintheNLRAareexclusiverepresentation(fromwhichemergesunionsecurity),andmandatorygoodfaithbargaining.Iproposethatbothberepealed.In1993CongressmanDickArmeyofTexasintroducedaAVoluntaryBargaining@billtotheHouseofRepresentatives.Itgotnowhere,andArmeyhasneverreintroduceditalthoughhispartybecamethemajoritypartyinCongressin1994.Ifenacted,theArmeybillwouldhaverepealedexclusiverepresentation,butitwouldhaveleftmandatorygoodfaithbargaininginthelaw.ThebestmodeltofollowtowardvoluntaryunionismisNewZealand=s1991EmploymentContractsAct(ECA).NotwithstandingthattheECAwasrepealedinAugust2000bytheLabourPartyanditscoalitionpartner,theAlliance(Baird,2000),theECAworkedwellfrom1991-2000.Employmentgrew,unemploymentdeclined,realeconomicgrowthaccelerated,personalincomesroseand,mostimportantly,workerswerefreetochoose(Kasper,2000).TheECAremainspopularwiththeNewZealandelectorateinspiteoftheLabourParty=spayofftotheunionsfortheirelectoralsupport.ChancesareitwillberestoredinNewZealandinthenextfiveyears.CoercionisunjustifiedIn1935whentheoriginalNLRAwaspassed,theMarxistideathatworkersandemployerswerelockedinaclassstrugglewaswidely

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Metadata [hide]

Title	Toward Voluntary Unionism
Authors/Creators:	Charles W. Baird, California State University Hayward
Year:	2001
Volume:	17
Number:	1
Pages:	85 - 104
Publisher:	The Association of Private Enterprise Education
ISSN:	0890-913X
Document Type:	Articles

Citation:
Baird, Charles W. / 2001. "Toward Voluntary Unionism." The Journal of Private Enterprise, 17(1): 85-104.