The Right’s growing crackup over organized labor

This essay is a part of The Right Way Forward, Restoring America’s new think tank debate series in which leading conservative institutions argue the defining questions of the post-Trump era. Read about the series here.

For over a century and a half, a predominant theme on the political Right has been its association with the American business community. Whether it was the construction of the transcontinental railroad in the 1860s, industry-supporting tariffs during the 1920s, or supply-side economics in the 1980s, the modern Right has remained a political home for business — if not always the free market — since its inception. 

Likewise, while the Right has attempted to make overtures toward organized labor over the years, particularly during the Teddy Roosevelt and Eisenhower–Nixon eras, some of its most successful presidents have been celebrated for their anti-union stances. In 1919, Gov. Calvin Coolidge called in the Massachusetts State Guard to restore order