New York University (which is not run by the State of New York) has decided not to engage in collective bargaining with a union, the Graduate Student Organizing Committee, which is affiliated with the UAW. Consequently, the grad students have gone on strike. You can read about the dispute here.
NYU’s administration did bargain with the GSOC in 2002, but has changed its mind this year. Employers do not have such freedom once a union has been certified by the National Labor Relations Board, but since GSOC isn’t, freedom of contract still prevails. The angry grad students are comparing NYU to that most evil of institutions (Wal-Mart, of course), which they have a right to do. And NYU is steadfastly refusing to deal with the union, which it has a right to do.
This is the way labor relations ought to be throughout the economy. We should repeal mandatory bargaining and exclusive representation under the National Labor Relations Act (in fact, the whole Act is an unconstitutional invasion of intrastate commerce by Congress and should be axed) and freedom of association and freedom of contract to reign once again.
