> Maybe for the original union. However, what we have today is a joke. And, as far as I’m concerned, government workers should never be able to unionize.
Why? That’s contrary to free market principles. You should be allowed to make a contract with anybody you like. And you should be able to freely associate with anybody you like. Trade Unions are consistent with these two principles.
It doesn't stop there. In Econ 1A, "pure capitalism" is defined as a market where neither any one buyer nor any one seller can affect the market price. In buying and selling labor, we need the same number of man-hour buyers as we got sellers. That's why we need lots of unions and lots of employers, so neither side can control of the price of labor.
How are trade unions consistent with free association? If I have to join a union just to get a job in my area of expertise, how is that free association?