For all the talk about where different groups stand on collective bargaining and the right of freedom of association, a bit of clarity on where Libertarians stand. (Not where conservatives or liberals think Libertarians stand, but where we truly and wholeheartedly stand.)
Here’s a message from the chair of the LP, excerpts of which I reproduce below:
LP Chair: The problem in Wisconsin is not unions but government
WASHINGTON – While Republicans and Democrats battle in Wisconsin over a bill to reduce the collective bargaining power of state employee unions as a means of balancing their budget, Libertarian Party Chair Mark Hinkle points out that the problem lies with government control of activities it has no business running.
Hinkle comments, “Libertarians are neither pro-union nor anti-union. We believe that the right of association and freedom of contract allows any group of people to choose to bargain collectively rather than individually. Naturally, we oppose violence and threats of such, but unions per se can play a major role in a free society. The problem is that the battle between the Wisconsin state government and state employees isn’t even remotely a free market.
“Government monopolizes many services that could and should be provided in the voluntary sector by profit-making and/or non-profit organizations. This also gives them a ‘monopsony’ as virtually the only potential employer for workers in these fields. Once someone has trained to be a teacher or prison guard, they are essentially at the mercy of government for their employment in that field. Blaming them for wanting collective bargaining representation would be comparable to siding with the Polish government against the union Solidarity headed by Lech Walesa that freed Poland in 1989 from Soviet rule. The problem is with the employer: the government….
Wisconsin has seen an astonishing attack on the freedom of association.
Some Republicans are sure that attack is the right thing.
Libertarians know they’re wrong.
The full statement from the LP is available online.