Why the Change in LP Position on Labor

[MickeyL]

Former Position
http://www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Libertarian_Party_Jobs.htm

Union activity by choice only
We support the right of free persons to voluntarily associate in, or not associate in, labor unions. An employer should have the right to recognize, or refuse to recognize, a union as the collective bargaining agent of its employees. We oppose government interference in bargaining. Therefore, we urge repeal of the National Labor Relations Act, and all state Right-to-Work Laws which prohibit employers from making voluntary contracts with unions.

Now
Supports RTW laws, Why?

http://www.ga.lp.org/platform_II.html

An employer should have the right to recognize, or refuse to recognize, a union as the collective bargaining agent of some, or all, of its employees. As such, we applaud the legislature for maintaining Georgia as a right to work state.

See Georgia, e.g.

[KBCraig]

They say the same thing: that employers should have the right to either voluntary contract with or refuse to recognize unions, and that the government should not force employers to recognize unions.

No change there.

[frisco]

The original statement was a casualty of the Portland Purge, and the National platform is now mum on that issue.  The statement you linked to is from the GA LP.  There is no bylaw preventing affiliates from contradicting National's platform anyway.

The plumb line position is clearly to oppose RTW where private employers are concerned.  However, many Libs have a (somewhat justified IMO) distaste for unions and look to weaken them at any opportunity.  Also, some (L/l)ibertarians deviate from principle on one or more issues for reasons of utility, emotion, perceived self-interest, etc. 

[SethCohn]

The plumb line position is clearly to oppose RTW where private employers are concerned.  However, many Libs have a (somewhat justified IMO) distaste for unions and look to weaken them at any opportunity.

No offense to Morey, but that's a complete misstatement of fact.

1) The original platform opposed "we urge repeal of the National Labor Relations Act, and all state Right-to-Work Laws which prohibit employers from making voluntary contracts with unions."  Without the NLRA, it's a whole different kettle of fish.  With it, Unions are enshrined as the sole collective bargaining element by a simple majority.  Individuals are thus prohibited from bargaining for themselves, 'opting out', for example.  Majority rule contracting is not a Libertarian principle or ideal.

2) RTW is these days, like it or not, thanks to NLRA, solely about one issue.  You currently cannot be forced to join a union, according to the NLRA.  You _are_ however, bound to pay your 'fair share' of union dues for the mandatory collective bargaining, if the contract requires it.  Under a RTW, you cannot be bound to pay for something you didn't directly agree to pay, agree to join, etc.  RTW is about protecting the individual from a majority rule contract they didn't explicitly agree to themselves.

3) The Libertarians who oppose RTW, oppose it when, as stated in the platform, it serves to 'prohibit employers from making voluntary contracts with unions'.  Since the NLRA institutes the opposite effect: 'prohibiting employers from making voluntary contracts with individuals', unless the NLRA is also repealed to balance out the RTW repeals, then claiming that Libertarians oppose RTW is like saying that they are for Heroin use, without mentioning that they are for drug legalization in general: It's a slanted view that doesn't make any sense without the bigger picture. 

Most of the Libertarians I've met who oppose RTW do so on a solely principled (and IMHO uneducated) stance in that RTW tells the Union and Employer that they may not do something in a contract (that is, set up binding work conditions on a 3rd party, the worker), and ignore the current reality that is the NLRA... a far bigger contract dictating factor in Union/Employer/Worker relations.

[SethCohn]

Hmm, looks like the Seth filter is broken... damn sethpammers!  We're working hard to ensure a sethfree nhfree.  Ignore the man behind the curtain, especially if he's got curly hair.