The Conscience of a Conservative · Chapter
Freedom for Labor explained
Goldwater argues that the balance of power between labor and management has shifted dangerously to union leaders, threatening economic stability, political processes, and individual freedom.
What happens
Goldwater argues that the balance of power between labor and management has shifted dangerously to union leaders, threatening economic stability, political processes, and individual freedom. He advocates for voluntary unionism, right-to-work laws, and an end to compulsory union dues for political purposes, framing these as matters of fundamental civil rights and moral principle.
Themes in this chapter
Individual Freedom vs. Collectivism
Goldwater frames compulsory unionism as a violation of the individual's freedom of association, arguing that voluntary unionism respects personal choice and conscience.
Property Rights and Taxation
The chapter condemns the use of compulsory union dues for political purposes as a moral violation of property rights, equating it to taking money from a Republican member to support a Democrat.
Welfarism and Individual Responsibility
Goldwater argues that voluntary unionism would force unions to earn member support, promoting responsibility and reducing corruption, in contrast to the 'free rider' argument for compulsion.
Characters to notice
- Narrator
Argues for voluntary unionism and criticizes the concentration of power in union leadership.
- Big Labor
Identified as wielding excessive economic and political power, forcing compulsory unionism and spending members' dues on political campaigns without consent.
- Candidate X
Mentioned as a family man in Pennsylvania who lost his job for refusing to join a Communist-dominated union under a union shop agreement.
- Congress
Criticized for passing the Kennedy-Ervin bill 90-1 (with Goldwater the lone dissenter) and for failing to address the real evil of concentrated union power.
- The Liberals
Implicitly criticized for opposing right-to-work laws despite professing concern for civil rights and civil liberties.
- The States
Referenced as having enacted right-to-work laws, which Goldwater supports as a remedy for compulsory unionism.
Key passages
“the delicate balance of power we sought to achieve between labor and management has shifted, in avalanche proportions, to labor's advantage. Or, more correctly to the advantage of union leaders.”
The intended equilibrium between labor and management has been overwhelmingly tipped in favor of union leaders.
Goldwater asserts that union leaders, not workers, have gained excessive power.
“What could be more fundamental than the freedom to associate with other men, or not to associate, as each man's conscience and reason dictates?”
The freedom to choose whether or not to join an association is a basic right.
Goldwater defends the principle of voluntary association as a natural right.
“Is it morally permissible to take the money of a Republican union member, for example, and spend it on behalf of a Democrat?”
Using a worker's dues to support a candidate they oppose is morally wrong.
Goldwater frames union political spending as a moral issue of consent and property.