I’m often asked why Democrat politicians so vehemently oppose giving workers the choice to join or not join labor unions aka “right to work.” After all, I’m told, polling data such as (but by no means limited to) that from Gallup below shows strong (overwhelming, even) support even from rank-and-file Democrats when it comes to “right to work.”
The Nation Magazine (an extremely “progressive” publication) shed some light on the matter in a recent report. According to these findings, “Right-to-work laws decreased Democratic presidential vote share by 3.5 percent.” The study also reports similar declines down ballot for Democrats.
Anyone who follows politics knows that unions are partisan tools (see below).
Is “right to work” more about partisan self-interest than the result of any “pro-worker” concerns? It certainly seems likely. The Rio Grande Foundation remains strongly in support of “right to work” because it is right to give workers choice and strong evidence shows that businesses tend to move jobs and facilities to “right to work” states. The opposition among Democrat politicians appears to be more about electoral self-interest than any principle including popularity of the policy among their own supporters. Funny that the left-wing Nation would be the ones to point that out.
The idea that the government is interfering with an employers ability to regulate itself in this day and age or a workers ability to join a union is contrary to basic Liberty. This holds true for Occupational Licensing as well which is entirely unnecessary and interferes with the ability for people to work–it’s less about Health, Safety and Welfare and more about restricting competition for the businesses already in business.