Janus v. AFSCME

Labor Watch
In Defense of Taft-Hartley: Why Taft-Hartley Came to Be
In 1947, organized labor reaped the whirlwind from the massive disruptions it inflicted on the American economy in 1945–46. Sen. Robert A. Taft (R-OH) shepherded passage of the Labor Management…
by Michael Watson on October 17, 2023

Labor Watch
In Defense of Taft-Hartley: The Taft-Hartley Consensus
Taft-Hartley accepted as fait accompli the Wagner Act’s framework of compulsory, monopoly-union bargaining. It also accepted as fait accompli numerous restrictions on employers’ conduct related to employee organization, including restrictions…
by Michael Watson on October 17, 2023

Labor Watch
In Defense of Taft-Hartley: Advancing Voluntarism
Every conservative dragooned by circumstance into a unionized workplace is compelled to make a Hobson’s choice: Either concede any voice in the workplace by resigning from the union, or pay…
by Michael Watson on October 17, 2023

Labor Watch
In Defense of Taft-Hartley: Protecting the Public
The past few years should be an object lesson in why the Taft-Hartley principles limiting unions’ power to disrupt commerce and society—remember the parade of horribles that President Truman detailed…
by Michael Watson on October 17, 2023

Labor Watch
Pushback to Social Justice Unionism at the New York Times
The shock troops of social justice unionism have been the writers’ unions at major media outlets, which are typically affiliated with the NewsGuild. But in a recent controversy at the…
by Michael Watson on February 27, 2023

Podcast
InfluenceWatch Podcast #240: California’s Union Payoff
Since the Supreme Court decided the Janus v. AFSCME case and held that forcing government workers to pay union fees was an unconstitutional infringement of their free speech rights, union-aligned…
by Michael Watson on October 14, 2022

Podcast
InfluenceWatch Podcast #232: Know Your Rights: Labor Unions
We’ve discussed government worker unions and their left-wing politics on the podcast before, but what can workers do to protect themselves against union activities they disagree with? Americans for Fair…
by Michael Watson on August 19, 2022

Labor Watch
Big Labor’s Golden State: A Tale of Two Cities
Summary: With over 10 percent of the nation’s population and an economy larger than that of France, California has loomed large in the nation’s politics and economy since the mid-20th…
by Michael Watson on July 28, 2022

Labor Watch
Big Labor’s Golden State: Rise of Industrial California
Labor relations nationwide were transformed by the New Deal, especially the passage of the National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act) in 1935. The law abolished the strong form of the…
by Michael Watson on July 28, 2022

Labor Watch
Big Labor’s Golden State: California’s Union Labor Machine
While private-sector unions remain powerful in California, the true center of labor organizing and government growth is its government-sector unions. Surprisingly perhaps given the vast growth in their power since…
by Michael Watson on July 28, 2022