Did the USA Founding Fathers Forget One in the First Amendment (RE: Wisconsin vs big union bosses)?
We supposedly have freedom of religion and freedom from the formation of a national (or state) religion. The founders understood that religion was vital to western liberalism and well understood the downside to national religions. France required Roman Catholicism to work for the government, Russia required the Orthodox Catholic religion. England required the Church of England religion. Nazi Germany required Nazi Party membership (all other labor unions were banned) for government work such as postal carrier and railroad worker. Many joined these religions and the Nazi Party (actually the National Socialist German Workers Party) so they could get a good job even if they had no real beliefs/sympathy for them.
How is requiring a person to join a union, in the case of the federal government a government approved union, any different? I felt like such a hypocrite joining the postal carriers union so I could work as a geologist for the US Forest Service when they were at odds with what I believed. I seriously considered offering to take a big pay and benefit cut but knew that offer would just result in my not being hired. Nobody should be forced by government to be extorted in order to get a job. I think the forefathers missed one.
Yes, I was talking about Russia at the time of the writing of the USA Constitution. Suspected what you said of current times but didn't really know.
Also understand at what unions are for but that is not the question. The question is how is being FORCED to join a union different from the other protections we got? I'm all for VOLUNTARY membership. It is the company's choice (for their convenience) to pay all the same wage negotiated by the union - they are under no obligation to do so so it is not a point in favor of forced membership.