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Comment by jlgreco | Hacker News Reader

That is an inaccurate blanket statement. Some libertarians, such as myself, actually can be pragmatic. (I can't say I like right to work laws, but I think they are necessary so long as unions, which I think are natural and legitimate market phenomenons, are weak)

Edit: Right-to-work laws are not what I thought they were. What I meant to convey is that I am opposed to At-will Employment (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At-will_employment)so long as unions are weak.

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I think it's fair to say libertarians do not support right-to-work laws on principle, because the freedom of contract is used to justify dozens of other positions in their ideology. You cannot logically be a libertarian and support right-to-work laws.

Can you find a single local libertarian party or recognized libertarian organization that supports right-to-work laws? Can you find enough to challenge my "blanket statement"?

I was mistaken. What I meant to convey is that I do not support At-will employment as long as unions are weak.

(I believe the power of unions has been artificially weakened and corrupted by government interaction. Therefore I self-describe as libertarian, despite liking unions and disliking at-will employment. I concede that my politics are likely at odds with most self-described libertarian politicians.)

Putting aside the libertarian party I think FA Hayek is as libertarian as anyone in history and he supported right to work laws. Such laws make some contracts invalid and that's the extent to how they really operate.

I can't say I like right to work laws, but I think they are necessary so long as unions, which I think are natural and legitimate market phenomenons, are weak

I think you're confusing right-to-work laws with something else. Those prohibit private contracts which require union membership. In effect, they limit the monopoly power of large unions. (?)

You are correct.

I confused right-to-work laws with whatever the opposite "at-will employment" laws are.

To expand on this: The basis of a libertarian argument in favour of right-to-work laws would be that the employer-employee relationship should have just those two parties and be free from outside interference from another party (the union).

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