76-03-A5
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The Fate of 14 (b)[edit]
Transcript[edit]When it comes to being forced to join a labor union, most Americans are mavericks. I'll be right back. It's too early to tell whether there will be a major push in Congress next year to repeal Section 14(b) of the Taft-Hartley Act, but it's safe to say there will be plenty of discussion of the subject in the coming months. Section 14(b) is the provision that permits the individual states to pass so-called right-to-work laws; laws which ban compulsory union membership. Today, 20 states have right-to-work laws, including all the Southern states (which may account partly for the South's attractiveness to industry in recent years). National labor hierarchies in general, and the AFL-CIO's George Meany in particular have railed against Section 14(b) for years and have demanded its repeal. I, for one, favor each state's right to make its own decision in the matter. What's good for the goose, may not be best for the gander. My own state, California, decided against right-to-work a number of years ago when the late William F. Knowland was overwhelmingly defeated for governor, campaigning for right-to-work. This year, the two major party platforms took opposite courses. The Republicans favored retention of 14(b). The Democrats went along with George Meany's wishes and called for repeal. But, if anyone tells you that organized labor is solidly behind the idea of repealing Section 14(b), don't you believe it. Earlier this year, the Opinion Research Corporation issued the results of a very revealing national poll it had conducted. Overall, 75 percent of the national sample agreed that a worker in industry should be able to "hold a job whether or not he belongs to a union." Even union families registered 56 percent agreement on this point. Significantly, young people -- 18-to-29 years of age -- registered the highest score in agreement, 82 percent. And , that may spell trouble for the compulsory unionism advocates in the years ahead. The researchers also asked people if they favored keeping Section 14(b) of the Taft-Hartley Act. Nationally, 68 percent said "yes". Among union members it was even 62 percent. Among the age groups, the 18-to-29 year olds again had the highest percentage of agreement, 73, but no group fell below 60 percent. And, as pollsters do, the Opinion Research people came around the other way to cross-check their other questions. They asked those interviewed if they believed that "employees who do not want to be represented by a labor union should have the right to bargain for themselves." This time, 71 percent nationally said they agreed. Among union members, 52 percent agreed, and young people agreed by a whopping 80 percent. If the union members of the new Congress read that survey, they may decide that it's better to leave the whole matter just where it is now -- in the laps of the state legislatures. This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening. |
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