Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-03-31


a job is basic human right, and
that the Government should both
protect the right and, if necessary,
create the job, are the same in
divlduals who oppose the right to
work laws enacted by several of
the States. Thus, the question
raised by this inconsistency is
whether or not this basic human
right to a Job is restricted to labor
union members only.
Actually, there is no inherent
right to a job in this country or
in any other country that adheres
to our concept of freedom. A person
obviously has the right to seek a
job, but to assume that a job is a
right would be a material approach
instead of the spiritual one that
has always activated our people.
A Bosic Right Involved
Thus, the right to a job exists
only in mans determination to get
job, and to keep a job. If there
are rights connected with that,
then those rights are wrapped up
in expressions of the right to-work
laws which recognize that the right
to work, whether a man belong to
union OF not, is basic right.
When a man must belong to a
union in order to obtain or retain
employment, then that man does
not have the right to work under
our concept Of freedom; and this
denial, being one of compulsion
without due process of law, violates
the guarantees of the Fifth Amend.
ment. Likewise, if man were de-
MED employment because of mem
bership in a union, that condition.
also. would be in violation of the
Constitution.
The right to work springs from
the liberty of the individual to Or
der his life as he sees fit: to choose
where he will work, to choose his
church. his political party, his lodge,
his union-or, if he desires. to
choose not to affiliate with any Of
these. No law shall compel any man
to join. or condemn him for join
ing, any organization or group.
Some men want to belong to un-
ions; some do not. It is as simple
as that. Yet, some union leaders.
and some politicians. want the right
OF assembly destroyed by the ex-
tension of compulsory unionism
into States where that right is now
protected.
Situoton in Other Notions
1t is difficult to understand why
there exists here in America, the
land of the free. desire on the
part Of some people to force men
to join unions in order to gain and
retain employment. There are sue
ceSsful unions in other parts of
the world. There are countries that
are far more unionized than the
United States. Seven of these have
compulsory unionism in some form,
but none Of them have compulsion
by law.
The other countries prohibit it.
except in rare cases: and, in these
instances, by collective agreement
only. The most unionized coun-
tries in the world. the Scandinavian
countries. prohibit compulsory
unionism by law. 1t is simply not
allowed. Yet, in spite of that, we
find greater percentage of the
working people belonging to unions
IN those countries than in any
other nations of the world.
Universally. compulsory union
ism is frowned upon. Leaders
around the globe recognize that, in
compulsion. you also have the seeds
Of self-destruction: but allow a man
the freedom to join, or not to Join,
and that individual who does be-
come a union member, after exer-
cising his free right to determine
his choice, becomes a good union
member and an asset to his