Labor Struggle in a Free Market
|
Submitted by: bradspangler  Subscribe to this Author Paste this code into your site to promote this story! |
http://www.theartofthepossible.net/2008/07/24/labor-struggle-in-a-free-market/
Type of Content: Article "Present-day labor law limits the bargaining power of labor at least as much as it reinforces it. That ’s especially true of reactionary legislation like Taft-Hartley and state right-to-work laws. Both are clearly abhorrent to free market principles." Read »
Created 1 year 27 weeks ago
Made popular 1 year 27 weeks ago |
- Flag as offensive
- Login or register to post comments
- 531 reads
****
in situations where a company can't pack up and relocate -- or import cheap labor
very few situations indeed
As long as employees are able to unionize, there is no threat in a free market to employees from employers. Unions will just have to become more common place and be more active, to make up for the absence of labor laws.
A labor union will be charged with figuring and negotiating a reasonable wage for workers and tradesmen. People will be forced to organize and fight it out for themselves.
I know labor unions are not a popular idea in free market circles, but i think in a truly free market, in a free society even "peons" should have some say in the value of their time and energy.
Government has solved the age old dilemma of the alchemists. In order to turn lead into gold, just add blood.
as long as the government doesn't force employers to work with them. If the workers organize a union, and they truly represent a group of people whose skills are an asset to the company over the skills that non-union laborers would posses, they can be effective and are participating fairly and honorably in the free market - they set the price at which they will sell their services to employers. It is only when governments force companies to become "union shops," meaning they are not allowed to hire non-union laborers, that the rights of the employer are violated and the market becomes distorted.
Tom Mullen
www.tommullen.net
www.myspace.com/skepticsongs
"Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because if there be one he must approve of the homage of reason more than that of blindfolded fear."
-Thomas Jefferson