How can this be?
I grew up hoping to see union power curtailed. I was a big fan of libertarian legal theorist Sylvester Petro, even before I met him at the Foundation for Economic Education in 1971. His books on illegitimate union power in the 1950’s were like oases in the desert. He was John the Baptist, crying in the wilderness.
Today, the unions are busted. Finished. Past tense.
In Wisconsin, a traditional Progressive movement state, the legislature is about to pass a right to work law.
It did not seem possible that this could happen in 1955. Surely not in Wisconsin. But it has.
There is no right to work. There is only a right to bid. But the phrase, “right to work,” has been a political winner for a generation.
Liberals at the New York Times are heartbroken. Tough.
The unions have been anti-labor from day one. They were always opposed to the right to bid. Workers compete against workers. Unions call on the government to make it illegal to hire non-union members. It is all done in the name of helping labor. In fact, trade unions discriminate against labor.
I have enjoyed seeing the unions shrink. This has reminded me: don’t give up hope. All is not lost. Tomorrow is another day.
