A political controversy between housing advocates and construction labor unions has been brewing in California. These two groups generally agree on many political principles, and their disagreement over a proposed bill might confuse some. But the fact is, the very nature of those political principles makes such disagreements inevitable.
Both housing advocates and labor unions hold the group, the collective, as the standard of value. They just disagree on which group is most important. Housing advocates argue that the predominate group is low-income families. Labor unions argue that unions should be the favored group.
Regardless of the particular group that is selected, collectivism holds that the individual is subordinate to that group. The individual must sacrifice his interests to those of the group. If an individual does not do so voluntarily, he should be compelled to sacrifice. And this precisely what housing advocates and labor unions endorse and support.
For example, housing advocates support legislation that forces landlords to accept housing vouchers. They endorse laws that force developers to include below-market housing in their projects. Labor unions support legislation that forces employers to negotiate with labor representatives. Unions support laws that mandate the use of union labor on certain projects. And the latter is the cause of the current disagreement.
California legislators have been considering a bill that would rezone empty strip malls and retail stores across the state and allow them to be converted to affordable housing for low-income families. The labor unions want the bill to include a provision that requires the use of “skilled and trained” workers—i.e., union labor—for the conversions from commercial to residential.
Affordable housing developers argue that such a requirement would be impractical in areas of the state with low union membership and drive up the cost of the housing. But the labor unions are undeterred. The interests of the unions supersede the interests of others, and those others must sacrifice for the alleged benefit of the unions.
If the unions have their way, many conversions will be economically impractical. The affordable housing crisis in California will continue, and countless individuals will suffer.