[chrisseaton]

> the union simply wouldn't work if half the labor force opted out

Can't you see how weird this is? 'The law needs to make people be members of a union, because if they didn't the union wouldn't exist and people wouldn't be able to be a member of it.' That's so circular!

Just let people be in a union if they want to be, and not if they don't want to be, and let the union live or die based on people voting with their feet like that.

If your union isn't effective because people aren't joining then you need to change what it is your union offers them.