Union Membership

Union Membership and Partisan Politics

INTRODUCTION

In an era of increased polarization within American politics, right to work legislation has emerged as an increasingly prominent issue, with the common perception being that labor unions and Democrats line up on one side and big business and Republicans on the other. The chasm between left and right is at one of the widest points in the history of American politics and only continues to grow. The union issue illustrates this divide and the opposition movement toward right to work legislation seems to be gaining traction of late. Right to work (RTW) first became available to state legislatures with the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947. Specifically, section 14(b) allowed states the latitude to implement such measures. Sixty-five years later, RTW is still a salient issue that has served as a legislative vehicle for furthering the partisan aims. While some twenty states passed RTW legislation in the aftermath of Taft-Hartley, Oklahoma did not enact such legislation until 1985 and Idaho did not join the RTW ranks until 1985. This relatively inactive period has come to an end as partisans rally behind divisive issues seen as philosophically relevant to the founding philosophy of this country. Renewed interest in RTW has brought Indiana into the fold, becoming the 23rd RTW state in March of this year. (It should be noted that Indiana has previously passed and overturned such legislation and that the partisan fight is ongoing. Efforts are currently underway to overturn the most recently passed RTW legislation in Indiana.) Other states are facing battles of their own – Ohio, Wisconsin, and New Hampshire are among these. Right to work battles are not limited to state politics. Most recently, Senator DeMint, a Republican from South Carolina, has introduced S.2173, proposing a national RTW law.

Unionism and right to work legislation are perceived as highly charged partisan issues. Proponents...