Sorry, Jessica, WE DID VOTE FOR THIS
Supreme Court Hands Trump White House a Major Win, and Slaps Down Justice...
Stephanopoulos Is Under Water With Flood Accusations, and 25 years Is Too Little...
Stealth Bombers and Bunker Busters for Israel?
Philly Drowns in Trash As Union, Mayor Face Off
Karoline Leavitt Delivers Perfect Response to Reporter’s Stupid Question on Texas Flood Al...
Former Mamdani Intern Berates Muslim NYPD Officer at Pro-Palestinian Protest in Resurfaced...
JD Vance Goes Scorched Earth on NYC Muslim Socialist Candidate
FBI Launches Criminal Probe Into Brennan, Comey Over Trump-Russia Misconduct
IRS Announces Churches Can Endorse Political Candidates
TSA Announces Major Airport Change
SCOTUS Greenlights Trump’s 'Wrecking Ball' Federal Job Cuts to Move Forward Amid Ongoing...
Any Palestinian State Is a Way to Destroy Israel, Says Netanyahu
Colombia’s Leftist President Shrinks to Trump with Private Apology After Bizarre Coup Accu...
There’s Been a Disturbing Update Surrounding Laken Riley’s Murderer
OPINION

Mr. Trumka, You Clearly Do Not Understand Freedom

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka recently sounded off in the Huffington Post on an issue he clearly doesn’t understand—freedom.

Labor union officials believe their members have many entitlements and freedoms. But the freedoms to leave the union, receive merit-based pay raises, or stop funding the union’s political activities aren’t among them. Today’s unions place a higher priority on taking money out of their members’ wallets than updating themselves to provide more democracy and individual freedoms.
Advertisement

Considering that over 90 percent of currently unionized employees in the private sector never voted for the union in their workplace, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them flee in droves if given the chance.

Shortly after Scott Walker’s showdown in Wisconsin, many union members decided that they would head for the exits and keep their money. The state’s second-largest public-sector union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, lost over half of its members between March 2011 and February of this year. The American Federation of Teachers' Wisconsin chapter lost 6,000 of its 17,000 members. Wisconsin’s decline in public-sector union members mirrors the decline unions have seen in the private sector for decades.

There are currently two proposed pieces of legislation—the Rewarding Achievement and Incentivizing Successful Employees (RAISE) Act and the Employee Rights Act (ERA)—that would offer employees more freedom if Democrats would allow common sense to dictate their vote, rather than a quid pro quo relationship with unions.

The RAISE Act works to make the workplace more just for workers by allowing them to receive bonuses and pay raises based on merit. Amazingly, union-backed Democrats in the Senate recently voted against the legislation!

Currently, 80 percent of union contracts prohibit merit-based pay raises for individual employees. Instead, raises must be approved by the union, and in many instances, there is a pay ceiling—a maximum amount of money any person under a collective bargaining agreement can earn. Such a system discourages ambition and promotes mediocrity.
Advertisement

The ERA also offers employees a chance to exercise a right that many Americans hold sacred, and one that has been denied in many union shops—the right to vote. The ERA would allow current employees to vote and reaffirm by secret ballot election that they do, in fact, want the union voted in by their predecessors to represent them exclusively.

Union bosses are kidding themselves if they think they understand freedom.

Over Independence Day, let’s not falsely equate freedom with collective bargaining. Freedom is about the right of employees to control their own destinies—not holding members hostage to support partisan agendas and political favors.

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Recommended

Trending on Townhall Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement