Unions and the New Administration

Bill Clinton is the first Democratic president in modern times to be elected without strong union identification. At no time during the campaign did he even hint at interest in labor-law reform (beyond a perfunctory visit to Caterpillar picket lines and the expression of support for legislation outlawing permanent striker replacements). Yet the Clinton administration may sponsor far-reaching reform of the nation’s labor laws, attempting to establish what Labor Secretary Robert Reich has referred to as a “level playing field” between unions and management.

Today, fewer than 12 percent of America’s private sector workers are represented by unions, a steady decline from nearly 40 percent in the mid-1950s. Inde...