Scott Walker Ends Freedom of Contract in Wisconsin

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dean-baker/scott-walker-ends-freedom_b_6882738.html

You probably missed this one, after all most news coverage told people that Governor Walker signed a "right to work" bill. According to the accounts, this bill means that workers will no longer be forced to pay a fee to the union that represents them. This was presented as a victory for workers' rights over the power of unions. In fact, it was about denying the people of Wisconsin the freedom of contract.

This is not just a question of the best slogan for a marketing campaign; it's a question of how we think about workers' rights. Walker and his supporters want people to believe that a basic right of workers is being denied if they are forced to pay a union representation fee. This is nonsense if we think about the issue in its full context.

The problem is supposed to be that some workers dislike unions in general, or the union at a specific workplace, and don't think they should have to pay a representation fee to the union to hold a job. But there are often many things about a job that workers don't like.

Often employers demand that workers work bad shifts, starting their shift late at night or work on weekends. Employers can demand that workers come in on Thanksgiving or that they put in overtime. They might even do it with just a few minutes' notice, forcing workers to make rush plans for child care, skip doctors' appointments, or cancel other commitments.