Issue 10

By David Thomas Graves

The Issue

Declaring healthcare a fundamental right creates unintended consequences that directly impact workers, wages, and the labor movement itself. When a right requires the labor of others - such as doctors, nurses, and taxpayers - it shifts the burden onto them, often through higher taxes, reduced wages, or forced labor mandates that contradict the very principles of fair work. Labor unions, originally designed to protect workers from exploitation, are increasingly being used to push broad social policies that have little to do with employment rights, diluting their core mission. Instead of advocating for better wages and fair working conditions, unions risk becoming political tools rather than champions of worker empowerment. The real challenge isn’t whether people should have healthcare - it’s who pays for it, how it’s structured, and whether the solutions protect workers or place them under more economic strain. 

We hear it all the time, "Healthcare is a fundamental right." "Housing is a right." "A living wage is a right." At first glance, it sounds great. Who wouldn’t want people to have access to basic necessities? Who doesn’t want a world where no one struggles?

But here’s the challenge, the moment we call a need a right, we create obligations that infringe on someone else’s labor, freedom, or economic security. This isn’t just a theoretical debate - it has real consequences for workers, wages, and the labor movement itself. If you work for a paycheck, run a business, or care about labor fairness, you need to understand what’s at stake here.

What is a Right? And Why It Matters

A right is something you have by default, simply by existing. It’s something no one can take from you, and it doesn’t require anyone else to act on your behalf. Freedom of speech means you can express your opinion without fear of punishment. No one has to agree with you, and no one is forced to listen - but you’re free to speak. Your right to life means no one has the authority to take it away. But that does not mean someone else is required to provide for you. Your right to liberty means you are free to choose how you live - so long as it doesn’t infringe on someone else’s rights.

These are negative rights. They require only that others do not interfere with them.

But when people say "healthcare is a right," they mean something entirely different. Healthcare is not something you automatically possess by virtue of being alive. It requires labor, resources, and expertise - things that belong to other people. It requires doctors, nurses, hospitals, technology, and innovation. The moment we declare "healthcare is a right," we create an obligation - meaning someone, somewhere, must provide it, regardless of their consent.

And that’s where the real problem begins.

The Infringement of Rights in the Name of Rights

If healthcare is a right, then who is responsible for providing it? Doctors don’t just wake up one day knowing how to perform surgery. They spend years in training, work brutal hours, carry enormous student debt, and dedicate their lives to mastering a craft. Their labor - like anyone else’s - must be fairly compensated.

But if we say "healthcare is a right," then what we’re really saying is that medical professionals must provide their labor - regardless of compensation, choice, or consent. Workers must fund this "right" through higher taxes, inflation, or wage reductions. This isn’t an abstract concern - it’s a real labor issue. A labor union’s job is to protect workers from being exploited, yet if unions advocate for healthcare as a "right," they are unintentionally supporting the forced allocation of labor - something unions were built to fight against.

Now, some will argue, "Well, the government will pay for it." But here’s the reality: governments don’t generate wealth - they redistribute it. Every dollar spent on government-funded healthcare comes from somewhere - higher taxes on workers, inflation that reduces purchasing power, or corporate tax hikes that lead to wage cuts or layoffs.

The people most affected by this are workers. They get hit with higher taxes. They face reduced wages as businesses adjust to increased costs. They experience job loss as industries struggle with economic burdens. So when we say "healthcare is a right," we have to ask: at whose expense? Because someone will always have to pay for it, and more often than not, it's the very workers unions are supposed to protect.

Labor Unions Exist to Protect Workers - Not to Mandate Social Policy

Labor is about fair exchange - you put in work, you get compensated fairly. Unions exist to protect workers from exploitation and negotiate better wages and conditions. But somewhere along the way, unions started shifting from fighting for workplace rights to pushing broader social policies that don’t necessarily benefit all workers. And that’s where things get dangerous.

A labor union should be fighting for fair wages, safe working conditions, and job security. A labor union should not be advocating for government-mandated policies that remove choice from workers, dictating social and political issues that have nothing to do with labor, or pushing one-size-fits-all solutions that don’t consider the diversity of workers needs.

The labor movement belongs to all workers - not just the ones who agree with union leadership, not just the ones who vote a certain way, but all workers. If unions want to stay relevant - if they want to remain a powerful force for workers - they need to refocus on labor and stop acting as political lobbying groups.

Let’s be clear. Labor is about work - not about politics. Labor is about protecting workers - not about advancing ideological causes. Labor is about securing fair compensation - not about redistributing someone else’s earnings.

The Real Labor Issue: Reforming the System, Not Forcing the Outcome

This isn’t about ignoring real problems in healthcare. Everyone knows the system is broken. Healthcare costs are out of control. Bureaucracy is strangling innovation. Insurance companies are exploiting both doctors and patients.

But the solution isn’t to declare healthcare a right and force workers to pay for it. The solution is to fix the system so people can afford it in the first place. Instead of unions fighting for government-mandated healthcare, they should be fighting for higher wages so workers can afford healthcare on their own terms. They should be fighting to end predatory pricing - hospitals and insurance companies shouldn’t be exploiting patients or doctors. They should be pushing for transparency in healthcare so people know what they’re paying for and can make informed choices.

When we fix the economic barriers to healthcare, we give people freedom, freedom to choose, freedom to afford care, and freedom to keep their hard-earned wages.

Labor Should Be a Shield, Not a Weapon

If we truly believe in freedom, fairness, and opportunity, we can’t pretend that calling something a "right" magically makes it available to everyone. That’s not how labor works. That’s not how the economy works.

Labor unions have a duty to stand up for workers, but that means protecting their wages, their opportunities, and their right to negotiate freely. It does not mean using them as pawns in a larger political game.

If we want a better future, one where people can afford healthcare, housing, and a good life, we need to focus on real solutions. We need to empower workers, protect fair labor exchanges, and create a system where people are rewarded for their work, not penalized for someone else’s entitlement.

That’s the fight worth having. That’s the labor movement worth defending. And that’s the future we should be building - together.

© David Thomas Graves 2025