Restraint of trade is a common law doctrine relating to the enforceability of contractual restrictions on freedom to conduct business going back to the 1700s. Basically, Common Law (the basis for much of American law) says “a contractual undertaking not to trade is void and unenforceable and contrary to public policy of promoting trade”. (Wikipedia 2012)
When taken in the context of Michigan passing a Right-to-work law allowing people to be employed without the influence of the major labor unions, the common sense of the law is pretty evident. But unions exert control over industry by controlling the workforce. The unions control the workers and if the unions say a person must become a union member or they can’t work, it seems there’d be a violation of this most basic of British Common Laws.
