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Freedom of Association, Freedom of Contract, and the Right-to-Work Debate

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Abstract

The debate over union security arrangements is often presented as involving irreconcilable goals and values. Supporters of union security typically stress their importance to the union’s organizational strength and workers’ welfare. Right-to-work supporters, who favor banning such arrangements, typically emphasize employee freedom and choice. Our approach involves a unique comparison of both perspectives, which shows that neither perspective is completely compatible with safeguarding freedom. We therefore advocate reconciliation based on compulsory worker representation, which preserves the best freedom-enhancing properties of each perspective.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Strategy and Human Resource Management, Waikato Management School, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

    Mark Harcourt

  2. Human Resource Management, Centre for Innovative Management, Athabasca University, St. Albert, Alberta, Canada

    Helen Lam

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  1. Mark Harcourt
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  2. Helen Lam
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Correspondence to Mark Harcourt.

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Harcourt, M., Lam, H. Freedom of Association, Freedom of Contract, and the Right-to-Work Debate. Employ Respons Rights J 18, 249–266 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10672-006-9022-y

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