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Friday, January 13, 2012

Is "Right to Work" a Right?

Big Government has a post where a Democratic state senator from Indiana writes to a constituent telling him, in effect, to go to hell. Here is the text of the email:

Sorry, but you are wrong and please stop with the “free market” bull. Please don’t write to me again….I am a 40 year member of the Carpenters Union.

Rep. Craig Fry

I have not expressed an opinion on the right to work issue because quite frankly I'm conflicted. I've worked union and all of my friends worked union. Speaking of being conflicted the state senator for whom I walked the precincts in the last election, Jim Tomes was once a Teamster steward. Tomes has tremendous Tea Party backing and the organization he founded, Second Amendment Patriots predates the Tea Party and in effect doubles as a Tea Party chapter. (This guy is top shelf with endorsements from Indiana Right to Life, The Republican Liberty Caucus, Gun Owners of America, The National Rifle Association with an "A" rating. He also has an "A+" rating from Right to Life of Southwest Indiana.)

While I believe "Right to Work" works in real life, I also think its benefits have been oversold. From a pragmatic view point, I don't think the Republican party should fight this fight just when it's making huge inroads in union households. If free markets are good enough for millwrights and pipe fitters they should work doubly well for doctors, lawyers, and dentists where law, not union loyalty is used to restrict the supply of labor and drive up prices. Where is the right to work under the conditions one prefers written? I can see how union members may feel that they have been honored with the lion's share of the sacrifices needed to make free markets free. I'll give state Rep. Fry a pass on this one.

2 comments:

  1. The issue of unionism is a difficult one. Where would we be without unions? Kissing the boss's behind all the time and trying to avoid getting fired. Been a member of one myself.

    However the unions have become particularly malignant in recent years. It's one thing to have unions in a state and it's another to have them bullying and terrorizing non union businesses to come under the umbrella of union "protection."

    It's tough but unions are making it difficult for anyone to coexist with them. Just sayin.'

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    Replies
    1. I'll reply in a post. The subject is too long to go into here.

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