SR 105-18: Labor Rights Amendment (Failed)

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AN AMENDMENT
to the Constitution of the Republic of Atlasia

Be it enacted by the Senate of the Republic of Atlasia:

Section 1 (Title)
i. The title of this Amendment shall be, the “Labor Rights Amendment.” It may be cited by its ordinal number in order of ratification.

Section 2 (Labor Rights Amendment)
i. The following shall be appended to Article I of the Constitution of the Republic of Atlasia as the next section thereof:

A full-enfranchised working class being necessary for the prosperity of a free people, the right of the working people to organize and bargain collectively shall not be infringed.

This amendment to the Bill of Rights would protect the right of wage-earners to unionize free from the subversive influence of employers or the state.

Sponsor: Western Democrat

The gentleman from Oregon is recognized.

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I have always maintained that unions ought to be protected by freedom of assembly, but the Bill of Rights is null on the matter of unions. I support this amendment to guarantee workers the right to organize.

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Would this protect unions just from public employers or private ones as well? I'm guessing both. Either way, I oppose this. Unions should only be backed by their own inherent power, not by that of the state. Excess unionization can cripple the economy.

I would support exemptions for, say, doctors - but they don't unionize. Union bosses are another story, but the union workers themselves are just folks trying to get by.

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Do Atlasians already pay union dues? And if not, would this amendment by implying that citizens have to join a union? I am personally in favor, but officially neutral on unions because I leave it up to the regions. I am curious.

This amendment does not mandate union membership, it merely recognizes their right to exist, organize, and bargain for higher wages and better living standards.