Why should conservatives support labor unions? Because they are a natural product of the free market. Because they are the expression of free people. Because they are, in fact, a business like any other.
In a free country, I use my resources in whatever way seems most fitting to me. That’s a pretty basic tenet of conservative ideology. For $100, I can buy this quadcopter drone for $49.99, or this quadcopter drone for $4,399.00. It is entirely my right to decide which product and which vendor best suits my needs.
Labor is a product. If I wish to purchase 8 hours of labor, I have to find out what the price is. If one laborer tells me that he wants $100, and another laborer tells me he wants $140, why should I not be able to choose which product and which vendor I prefer?
Now imagine that you own a house. You estimate the value at $3.2 million. You hire an agent who specializes in high-end housing deals. The agent lists the house at $3.9 million, and sells it for $3.6 million. Have you done anything wrong by using a third party to get the best possible deal? Of course not.
If I am selling labor, rather than a house, why is it any different for me to hire an agent to get the best possible deal? I may be a great machinist, or a great plumber, but I may not be a great negotiator. So why shouldn’t I hire a negotiator to get me the best possible price for the commodity I am offering?
That’s what a labor union is – a hired agent to get the best possible deal for the purveyor of labor.
If conservatives want to be philosophically consistent, they must either support labor unions, or admit that liberty is not part of the conservative message.
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