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Spring 2013

ISSN 0890-913X

Volume 28, Number 2

Categories: Spring 2013 | Politics

American Unionism and Freedom of Association

Charles Baird, California State University, East Bay

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TheJournalofPrivateEnterprise28(2),2013,1–21AmericanUnionismandFreedomofAssociationCharlesBairdCaliforniaStateUniversity,EastBayAbstractCorrectlyunderstood,PersonA'sfreedomofassociationistherighttoassociatewithanyotherperson(orgroupofpersons)whoiswillingtoassociatewithPersonA.Anyassociationnotbasedonmutualconsentisaforcedassociation.Manyunionapologistsspeakof"laborrights"ratherthanhumanrights,andincludeinlaborrights,rightsthatotherhumansdonothave.Moreover,intheirunderstanding,laborrightsand"unionrights"arethesame.Theyarewrongonbothcounts.Twofederallaws—theNorrisLaGuardiaAct(NLA,1932)andtheNationalLaborRelationsAct(NLRA,1935,amended1947)—violatebothworkers'andemployers'freedomofassociation.OnewaytheNLAdoessoisbybanningunion-freehiringcontracts.TheprincipalwaytheNLRAdoessoisbyimposingexclusiverepresentationrulesonAmericanemployersandworkers.Anotherisitsimpositionofmandatorygoodfaithbargaining.(Thereareotherexamples,butIwillnotdiscussthemhere.)ActionstakenbyunionsundertheNLRAgofurthertoabrogatebothworkerandemployerfreedomofassociation.Especiallyimportanthereareconstantattemptbyunionstoforceemployersinto"neutrality"agreementsthrough"corporatecampaigns."Itisallanillicitefforttosilenceemployersduringunionorganizationcampaigns.SomeacademicunionapologistsclaimthattheNLRAistooweaktoprotectworkers'freedomofassociation.Todoso,theyassert,USlawmustcomportwithArticle20oftheUNDeclarationofHumanRightsandInternationalLaborOrganizationConventions87and98.Butacorrectunderstandingofthosedocumentsbeliestheirclaims.The2011EmployeeRightsActnowincommitteeinbothhousesofCongresswouldamelioratesomeofthetrespassesagainstfreedomofassociationinAmericanunionlaw,butitdoesnotgofarenough.ThebestpartsofNewZealand's1991EmploymentContractsActpointtomoreeffectivedefensesoffreedomofassociation.JELCodes:J41,J58,J83Keywords:Freedomofassociation;Voluntaryexchange;Forcedunionism1

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Metadata [hide]

Title	American Unionism and Freedom of Association
Authors/Creators:	Charles Baird, California State University, East Bay
Year:	2013
Volume:	28
Number:	2
Pages:	1 - 21
Publisher:	The Association of Private Enterprise Education
ISSN:	0890-913X
Document Type:	Articles
Keywords:	Freedom of association, Voluntary exchange, unionism, Labour rights, Human Rights, Legislation

Citation:
Baird, Charles / 2013. "American Unionism and Freedom of Association." The Journal of Private Enterprise, 28(2): 1-21.