COMMENTARY | If a list of the most frivolous and outlandish lawsuits in U.S. history existed, the AFL-CIO union case against Indiana would rank at the top. The lawsuit protesting right-to-work legislation was amended to include claims of 13th Amendment violations, according to The Blaze. Any complaints about the recently passed legislation are overshadowed by the absurd enslavement claims. American workers deserve the choice of elective union membership. Indiana is the 23rd state to pass a law offering freedom in the workplace, the Daily Caller reports.
The irrational fears of the union are readily apparent throughout the 30-page court filing. The prevention of a loss of funds seems more important than the protection of members. All American workers are protected by a plethora of federal labor laws, but scare tactics about safe working conditions and staffing levels are typically among the rally cries of union leaders. The unfounded claims of 13th Amendment violations by the union mock the barbarity of human bondage the Constitutional change eliminated.
Union hopes that the court will equate union and nonunion employees working side-by-side with involuntary servitude are futile. The contention that unions are forced into compulsory employment because nonunion members benefit from organization representation without paying dues is not slavery.
There is no guarantee that nonunion workers will be offered the same wages as their union peers. Businesses and public agencies in right-to-work states could offer nonunion workers a higher wage because expensive and sometimes frivolous union benefits would not apply. Nonunion workers might feel a larger salary is more important than a few extra personal days.
Right-to-work legislation will not harm workers or reduce wages. Employers strive for excellence. Accomplishing goals and turning a profit requires quality workers. Good-faith bargaining between employer and employee does not require input by a third party. Workers who favor the alleged protections of a union and feel dues are well-spent will still have the option of membership under the Indiana law, according to legislative language published by the Daily Caller.
Public and private employee unions in right-to-work states will have to entice potential members with quality services and fiscal responsibility. Union leaders will have to wave good-bye to lavish conferences if they want to prove to the rank and file that they can spend money wisely and have not outlived their usefulness.
