In this letter to the editor of New America, Associated Builders and Contractors president Robert A. Turner responds to Bayard Rustin’s criticism of nonunion construction, defending the “merit shop” system as an alternative to union collective bargaining. Turner argues that nonunion contractors offered greater opportunities for minority workers, while criticizing unions’ history of racial exclusion.
The Arbiter of Circumstance: Defending the Democratic Process
In this 1978 New York Times op-ed, Bayard Rustin reflects on the civil rights movement’s shift from street protest to electoral politics, arguing that true economic justice depends on disciplined engagement with democracy. He cautions against abandoning the ballot for disruption, warning that when democracy erodes, marginalized communities are the first to pay the price.
