ABSTRACT
Under the U.S. Constitution, everyone is guaranteed a right to associate or not to associate with organizations and people of their own choosing. Unions are unique in our society because, under the National Labor Relations Act they are given an exclusive franchise to organize individuals in the workplace for purposes of representation and negotiating terms and conditions of employment. No other nongovernmental organization is given such a monopoly or express procedures for establishing its exclusive representation status. Unions’ exclusive workplace role is particularly noteworthy in view of the rapid growth of other nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), such as the NAACP and the AARP, since the 1970s—from a few hundred to over 30,000 today, and more than a few of these NGOs are competing for the interests of American workers.
