Reich's Call for Unionization is 'a 1930s Solution to a 2009 Problem,’ Economists Say

Thursday, February 19, 2009
By Pete Winn, Senior Writer/Editor

(CNSNews.com) - A former Clinton-era Cabinet member is taking part in a union-backed media offensive that is pushing for increased unionization by having Congress pass the Employee Free Choice Act.

It’s an argument, however, that some economists say comes straight out of the failed policies of the past – the 1930s Depression era, to be exact.

Robert Reich, Clinton’s secretary of labor, told reporters Wednesday that the way to get the economy back on track is to boost the purchasing power of the middle class. One major way to do that, he said, is to “expand the percentage of working Americans in unions.â€