Rep. Debbie Dingell warns Democrats about their weaknesses in Michigan ahead of the 2024 presidential election, highlighting the party's issues with unions and seniors.
Labor Day is a time to celebrate the American worker, not simply enjoying an extra day off or marking the unofficial end of summer. However, union officials often seize this opportunity to push for more government-granted powers, infringing on the rights of the very workers they represent.
Today's unions leverage the power to force workers into their ranks. In states without right-to-work laws, union officials can extort private sector workers, compelling them to "pay up or be fired." Even for workers who voluntarily support unions financially, they are obligated to accept union negotiations over their wages and working conditions.
Unions on Labor Day: Coercion, Not Celebration
This forced unionization disregards the personal preferences of individual employees, even if they oppose union representation or suffer from one-size-fits-all contracts imposed by unions. They are nonetheless compelled to join, leaving them with no choice.
To seek new coercive powers, union officials exploit the funds collected from workers who would otherwise face termination for non-payment. Big Labor's primary legislative priority in Congress, the "Pro Act," aims to repeal right-to-work laws nationwide, effectively stripping workers of their ability to choose.
Unions on Labor Day: Coercion, Not Celebration
Polls consistently show that workers value the choice provided by right-to-work laws. A recent Rasmussen Media Group poll revealed that 79% of current union members believe workers should never be compelled to join or pay dues to a union as a condition of employment, aligning with the 82% of all Americans who support this principle.
The "Pro Act" contains provisions beyond the abolition of right-to-work laws. It permits union organizers to bypass secret ballot votes in organizing efforts and empowers government bureaucrats to impose forced dues contracts against the wishes of both workers and employers.
Unions on Labor Day: Coercion, Not Celebration
Furthermore, the "Pro Act" would codify and expand rules recently implemented by the Biden-Harris National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). These rules allow union officials to block worker-requested "decertification" votes indefinitely by filing unproven allegations against the company.
In multiple instances, these tactics have been used to obstruct decertification efforts despite 100% of workers signing the petition. Union leaders may prefer the assurance of an unremovable status, but trapping workers in unions they oppose can hardly be considered pro-worker.
Big Labor has deviated from its traditional emphasis on voluntarism, a principle espoused by union leaders like AFL-CIO founder Samuel Gompers. He famously declared, "I want to urge devotion to the fundamentals of human liberty – the principles of voluntarism. No lasting gain has ever come from compulsion."
Today, instead of persuading workers to join and contribute dues willingly, union bosses increasingly rely on government coercion to maintain their privileged position. As Gompers observed, this approach undermines the liberty of those they claim to "represent."
On this Labor Day, it is crucial to reject the union boss talking points that deny workers the freedom to choose. After all, it is Labor Day, not Union Day.
