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The varieties of ‘right to work’. An essay in honor of W. H. Hutt
Author(s) -
Baird Charles W.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
managerial and decision economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.288
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1099-1468
pISSN - 0143-6570
DOI - 10.1002/mde.4090090507
Subject(s) - honor , representation (politics) , work (physics) , collective bargaining , right to work , turnover , economics , law and economics , political science , law , sociology , computer science , management , engineering , mechanical engineering , politics , operating system
There are at least three commonly asserted versions of the “right to work”: guaranteed employment, absence of union security in collective bargaining, and voluntary exchange. The first two versions are explained and critically evaluated. The third version is exposited and examined in depth beginning with a discussion of the criteria for voluntary exchange. The labor economics of W. H. Hutt, except possibly his views on the right to strike, is found to be based, both implicitly and explicitly, on the voluntary exchange version. Although American right to work laws seem to deny the right to enter some voluntary exchange contracts, Hutt supports them. His support is rationalized as an acceptable second best solution made necessary by the existence of the principle of exclusive representation in American labor law.