Right to Work Debate Meeting Summary
Citizens’ Caucus members and guests at Saturday’s quarterly breakfast meeting featuring a modified Oxford style debate moderated by Russ Diamond. The lively discussion featured Affirmative speaker, Simon Campbell, President of StopTeacherStrikes.com and Negative speaker, Dr. Steven Herzenberg, Executive Director of Keystone Research Center. on the proposition: “Resolved – That Pennsylvania should restore free worker’s choice to decide whether or not to join a union.” Under current federal law and state law, workers employed at union shops in Pennsylvania must pay union dues or lose their employment. 22 states have passed “Right-to-Work laws” which provide job protection to non-union members.
Dr. Herzenberg served as assistant to the chief negotiator of the Labor side of negotiations on the North American Free Trade Agreement. Debating the negative on the proposition, he held that the only way America’s middle class could be maintained was for unions to rebound from their present membership rate of 7-13% nationwide. He stated that only through compulsory collective bargaining could the American standard of living be maintained and improved and that coercion by owners and that “…coercion by managers against union efforts to organize non-union shops is a violation of workers’ liberty.”
Simon Campbell, President of the grassroots, nonprofit organization Stop Teachers Strikes stated that our nation is founded on principles which protect individual liberty. As Patrick Henry said, “Give me liberty or give me death.” Individuals should have the right to chose to join or not join a union and that they should not be forced into Union membership or payment of dues against their will. Monopoly bargaining may not represent the wishes of smaller groups of workers who wish to band together. He summed up his position as, “Compulsory union membership is a violation of workers’ liberty.”
Herzenberg countered that we need to decrease the gap between what the upper class incomes and what the middle class makes in salary. Earnings should be based on “collective choice not on market rates.” He advocated that Pennsylvania should NOT be a Right to Work state as unions benefit our whole economy and that laws which enhance union organizing should be strengthened.
Campbell stated that Unions are private organizations and should not have governmental-like powers to collect taxes (union dues) and represent individuals against their will. Unions should not be allowed to use government resources to collect dues from government workers on behalf of unions. Since some workers who are paying dues are opposed to union membership, the actions by the employer on behalf of the union are confiscatory - taxation without representation. He strongly believes that Pennsylvania should be a Right To Work state and that compulsory union membership is a violation of individual Liberty.
Citizens’ Caucus attendees complemented the speakers on their expertise on the issue expressed confidence that they are better informed on the subject having heard both sides of the issue of compulsory unionism.
The Citizens’ Caucus is a non-sectarian, non-partisan citizens’ issue study group formed to study the issues that are relevant to our time. General meetings, open to the public, are scheduled quarterly. The next meeting is scheduled for October 17. If you are interested in attending future meetings, please visit their website at www.citizensCaucus.org for more information.