Labor Union Violence in America: A Brief History
- Posted on November 7, 2011 at 2:29pm by
Dave Urbanski
- Print »
- Email »
In the wake of last week’s Occupy Oakland general strike, which—not insignificantly—gained union support before culminating with riots, The Blaze is taking a look at the history of violence surrounding union activity in America, especially strikes.
And nearly 150 years, it’s apparently no mere misunderstanding or shop-worn cultural stereotype: The United States has had the “bloodiest and most violent labor history of any industrial nation in the world”—so concluded Philip Taft and Philip Ross for their oft-cited study, American Labor Violence: Its Causes, Character, and Outcome.
Who’s Been Running the Show?
Taft and Ross found that “minority groups within the labor movement or without direct attachment to it advocated the use of violence against established institutions and also against leaders in government, industry, and society…Those who saw in violence a creative force…had no objectives of immediate gain; they were not concerned with public opinion. They were revolutionaries for whom the radical transformation of the economic and social system was the only and all-consuming passion.”
Sound familiar?
Socialist (and Violent) Roots of U.S. Labor Unions
The International Working People’s Association became the center for national anarchist federations in the early 1880s and “favored warfare against capitalist society and its leaders,” Taft and Ross said. Soon militant social revolutionary groups organized education and defense outposts, their members meeting regularly and drilling “with arms,” the authors noted, adding that insurrection and terror against individuals was also advocated.
This ideology “gained added strength from the terroristic acts of members of the People’s Will, an organization of Russian revolutionaries who carried out campaigns of violence against persons, culminating in the assassination of Czar Alexander II in 1881,” Taft and Ross noted.
Union Thuggery Is…Lawful?
It’s a huge caveat worth noting anytime union members spiral down toward lethal behavior: The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that certain labor union violence—even when involving homicide—cannot be prosecuted under federal law. The controversial U.S. v. Enmons verdict deemed in 1973 that labor violence against employers—including property damage, assault, and homicide—isn’t federally punishable when it’s carried out for legitimate union pursuits, such as wage or benefit increases.
The ruling makes one wonder to what extent unions have been emboldened, not simply toward stated labor objectives, but also toward violence means to achieve their ends.
A Little History Lesson
The chronicle of American labor union violence is extensive, dating all the way back to the 1870s, therefore we’ll condense things a bit and (for lack of alternate alliteration) hit highlights here:
Blocking engine traffic at Martinsburg, W.Va. (Harpers)
1. The Great Railroad Strike of 1877
When: July 1877
Where: Martinsburg, W.Va., Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Reading, Pa., Chicago
Why: Baltimore & Ohio Railroad cut wages for a second time in a year; strikers blocked train service
Carnage/Casualties: Street battles with federal troops; soldiers injured; trains damaged; a station, bridge, and trainyards torched.
2. The Haymarket Affair
When: May 4, 1886
Where: Haymarket Square, Chicago
Why: Demonstration supporting striking workers
Carnage/Casualties: Dynamite bomb thrown at police dispersing crowd; blast and mostly “friendly” retaliatory gunfire left eight police dead. Eight anarchists tried for murder; four convicted/executed, one committed suicide in prison. Event inspired caricature of bomb-throwing anarchist.
3. Homestead Strike
When: June-July 1892
Where: Carnegie Steel Mill, Homestead, Pa.; office, Pittsburgh
Why: Considered among most violent labor disputes in U.S. history, mill union wanted contract and mill management locked out workers.
Carnage/Casualties: Pinkerton guards fired on strikers; three guards surrendered, were disarmed, and beaten by a mob. Seven guards and 11 strikers/spectators shot to death. Later, Russian-born anarchist Alexander Berkman attempted to assassinate Carnegie chairman Henry Clay Frick in his Pittsburgh office.
Russian-born anarchist Alexander Berkman attempts to assassinate Carnegie chairman Henry Clay Frick in his Pittsburgh office. (© Bettmann/CORBIS)
3. Coeur d’Alene Miner Strike
When: July 1892
Where: Frisco Mill, Coeur d’Alene, Id.
Why: Striking miners incensed at Pinkerton infiltration into union
Carnage/Casualties: Strikers dynamited Frisco Mill; two company men killed; strikers captured 60 mine guards; martial law declared; national guard/federal troops ended unrest.
Striking American Railway Union members confront Illinois National Guard troops in Chicago during the Pullman Strike
4. Pullman Railroad Strike
When: May-July 1894
Where: Nationwide, culminating in Chicago
Why: Strike against wage reduction
Carnage/Casualties: 1892 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago’s Jackson Park torched; seven buildings burned to ground; railroad cars burned/looted; street fights with police; 14,000 federal and state troops put down strike.
5. Killing of William Healy
When: February 3, 1930
Where: Chicago
Why: Marble Setters Union had been having difficulties with Healy, a contractor
Carnage/Casualties: “Chicagorillas” (labor racketeers) shot and killed Healy.
6. Blinding of Victor Riesel
When: April 5, 1956
Where: New York City
Why: Riesel’s syndicated newspaper column crusaded against labor racketeers
Carnage/Casualties: A gangster threw sulfuric acid in Riesel’s face, permanently blinding him.
7. New York Daily News Strike
When: 1990
Carnage/Casualties: Strikers attacked delivery trucks with stones and sticks; some burned; some drivers beaten. Newsstands threatened with arson; copies of paper burned in front of newsstands; hundreds of violent acts reported/alleged. No convictions.
8. Killing of Eddie York
When: July 22, 1993
Where: Coal mine, Logan Co., W.Va.
Why: York shot and killed after crossing United Mine Workers picket line
Carnage/Casualties: Workmates attempting to rescue York were beaten. AFL-CIO chief Richard Trumpka, then leader of UMW: “I’m saying if you strike a match and you put your finger in it, you’re likely to get burned.” According to National Legal and Policy Center, Trumka’s lawyers settled a $27 million wrongful death suit filed by York’s widow; Trumka “did not publicly discipline or reprimand a single striker present when York was killed. In fact, all eight were helped out financially by the local,” according to Reader’s Digest.
9. Rod Carter Attack
When: August 7, 1997
Where: Miami
Why: Carter attacked after crossing UPS driver picket line; a former Dallas Cowboys linebacker, Carter was interviewed on TV news the day before saying he wouldn’t strike so he could provide for his family.
Carnage/Casualties: Teamsters pulled Carter from truck and beat, kicked, and stabbed him six times with an ice pick. Carter won an undisclosed civil-suit settlement in 2001.
10. Local 17 Case
When: various
Where: Buffalo, N.Y.
Carnage/Casualties: Union members charged with pouring sand into construction vehicle engines, stabbing company exec in the neck, tossing hot coffee at non-union workers, and threatening to sexually assault the wife of a company rep. AFL-CIO lawyer: “We’re not condoning the allegations or arguing that union officials are completely immune from prosecution. Instead, we simply want to make sure that the [federal law] is not interpreted in a way that could have a chilling effect on legitimate union activity.”
Police and union workers clash during a tense moment as union workers block a grain train in Longview, Wash., Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2011. Longshoremen blocked the train as part of an escalating dispute about labor at the EGT grain terminal at the Port of Longview. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)
11. Washington State Port Dispute
When: September 2011
Carnage/Casualties: Ports shut down in response to dispute between workers union and grain export terminal owner in Longview, Wa.; about 500 longshoremen carried baseball bats into terminal, smashed windows, damaged rail cars, dumped tons of grain from cars; later more than 1,000 longshoremen didn’t go to work, shutting down Seattle and Tacoma ports. “It’s certainly getting more and more violent,” said Jim Duscha, police chief of Longview. “The terminal’s security guards were outnumbered by people with baseball bats. People were busting windows out of the guard shack. They took a security guard out of his rig and drove it into a ditch.”
In Conclusion
Taft and Ross found that “labor violence was almost always harmful to the union. There is little evidence that violence succeeds in gaining advantages for strikers.” In addition, they determined that the “blood of the martyr may be the seed of the church, but in labor disputes it is doubtful if the sacrifices have been worth the results obtained. The evidence against the effectiveness of violence as a means of gaining concessions by labor in the United States is too overwhelming to be a matter of dispute.”
Popular Stories
Does Misstated Marathon Claim Prove Paul Ryan Is Dishonest? (POLL) 702 Comments
Paper Details Obama Admin’s Alleged Secret Note Sent to Iran: If Israel Attacks, We Won’t Get Involved 539 Comments
‘Made Up Religion’: TV Historian Enrages Muslims, Receives Threats After Producing UK Documentary Questioning Islam’s Beginnings 360 Comments
Roseanne Barr: Most Billionaires ‘Violent Pedophiles’ & ‘Heartless’ Cocaine Addicts 357 Comments
This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 356 Comments
Faith
- This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 356 Comments
Pakistani Muslim Cleric Accused of Framing Disabled Christian Girl in Koran-Burning Case Read More- ‘Made Up Religion’: TV Historian Enrages Muslims, Receives Threats After Producing UK Documentary Questioning Islam’s Beginnings 360 Comments
Meet the Controversial German Imam Accused of Brutally Beating His Wife & Pushing Sharia Law Read More
‘Self-Proclaimed Messiah’ & Unification Church Leader the Rev. Sun Myung Moon Has Died — Here’s His Life Story Read More
Business
- President Obama Issues Major ‘Green Energy’ Executive Order 275 Comments
- Germany’s Upcoming Court Ruling Will be Huge for the EU Read More
Ford Looks to Beat Toyota for Best-Selling Car in 2012 With This Model 149 Comments
Bernanke & QE3: Here’s What You Need to Know Read More- ‘Extortion’: Why Did the Labor Department ‘Drop the Hammer’ on Oregon Farmers? 302 Comments
Technology
- This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 356 Comments
‘TaserDrone’: Hackers Weaponize Quadcopter With Actual ‘Shocking’ Technology Read More
Ever Heard of the Wild ‘Burning Man’ Festival in the Middle of the Nev. Desert? Here’s Your Primer Read More
Stanford Develops Technology ‘Better Than Steroids’ for Athlete Recovery Read More
Have You Pretended to Know What ‘the Cloud’ Is? You’re Not Alone Read More
Submitting your tip... please wait!
Comments (68)
SYNJUNSMYTHE
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 7:03pmThe exact definition of communism varies, and it is often mistakenly, in general political discourse, used interchangeably with socialism; however, Marxist theory contends that socialism is just a transitional stage on the road to communism. Leninists revised this theory by introducing the notion of a vanguard party to lead the proletarian revolution and to hold all political power after the revolution, “in the name of the workers” and with worker participation, in a transitional stage between capitalism and socialism. MUST READ TO UNDERSTAND WHATS COMING … http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1917/staterev/index.htm
Report Post »scoter
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 11:40pmhttp://www.helpfireobama.com Please give $20.12
Report Post »In detroit
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 6:58pmUnions are the aids of economics I have spoken
Report Post »Anamah
Posted on November 8, 2011 at 3:01amThose gangsters need to be in jail. They suck power to work as mobs. They want to impeach the normal function of the economical and political system. They want to destroy our society, our country, our children future. They need to be investigate and have limited oportunities to hurt America.
Report Post »jnealer
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 6:27pmJust for the sake of a little context, up through WWII, anyone trying to organize labor was typically attacked by thugs that business managers hired. It was very common for railroad or mining operators to hire local police to beat the hell out of (or fire into) collective labor simply for not working. Back then, unions armed themselves because they HAD to. You also have to take into account the working conditions of these people. They could have molten steel poured on them, and they would get no compensation at all. They were literally treated like chattel. I can’t really defend the more recent examples of union violence, but you have to at least acknowledge the violence perpetrated AGAINST unions, and the common sense, humane laws that unions originally fought for.
Report Post »derekcranex
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 6:33pmA ballplayer who hit .350 with 50 home runs 10 years ago, but batted .210 with no home runs last year is not long for the major leagues.
Report Post »brickmoon
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 6:10pmU is for Unions — just helping Joe Sixpack…
The RadicAlphabet
(search for the video if you want — I don’t want to be accused of spemming)
Report Post »crossdraw
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 5:51pmThey throw rocks. Rocks are deadly. They need to learn about entry and exit wounds and why one should avoid them. And I mean first-hand. The world will never miss a useful idiot and anyone who pays dues so some union fat cat can live the life of luxury is a USEFUL IDIOT. I bet I could find 7.62 reasons why unions need to be stopped. It will probably come to that. Look at this cesspool of a world and tell me all will be okay. Just avoid stepping into any cross-hairs while you tell me. OKEY DOKEY?
Report Post »don young
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 5:27pmThe unions will probally have to be stoped just like the old days like we didn,t know they are violent.
Report Post »derekcranex
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 4:06pmAccording to the FBI, four of the last eight Teamsters presidents have been criminally indicted. But that is only the surface of union malfeasance. From 2001 to 2010 over 1600 union officials (Source: Department of Labor Office of Inspector General) have been CONVICTED for “for greed, corruption, and mismanagement of union dues.” They are stealing from their own members! In 2009, the NLRB reported that: Unions faced a total of 6,367 allegations of violating labor law and more than 87% of charges against unions were filed by union members — 78% of those charges were cases where a union attempted to “restrain or coerce employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed” by the National Labor Relations Act. Additionally, since 1975, the National Institute for Labor Relations Research has collected more than 9,000 reports of union violence. These incidents are recorded and electronically maintained in the Institute’s Violent Event Data File. You can look it up if you like, but there can be no doubt that unions can get pretty nasty to anyone who would dare question their power.
Report Post »Ruler4You
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 4:45pmBrief history? Yikes! Even when they aren’t beating people or killing them or destroying private property or destroying public property or intentionally causing social malaise the threat of a union going off its social rocker correlates very well with Al Qaeda like techniques to terrorize local populations. Think about it. We have our own brand of terrorists right here, they are Union.
Report Post »hidden_lion
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 5:03pmIt is time to wipe out the unions, I can’t believe this
Report Post »“1973 that labor violence against employers—including property damage, assault, and homicide—isn’t federally punishable when it’s carried out for legitimate union pursuits, such as wage or benefit increases.”
How did they not fight this ruling?
cromag11b
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 4:02pmAnd when its back to the company you work for owning your house, car, and even food; not to mention making you work 80 hours weeks with never a day off, you can look back and ask where the unions went. Because they earned you almost everything you take for granted about working in the US.
Report Post »Lord_Frostwind
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 4:51pmJust because an organization gets a good result doesn’t make them a good organization. In the past Labor Unions did fill an important role in American History, but just like Ralph Nader, the one trick pony has reached its expiration date and they are desperately trying to cling to life.
Besides, if you want to thank the unions for all those benefits, anything that came after the 1930s you’d have to thank the Mafia too, they go back a long way with the unions.
Report Post »encinom
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 5:17pmNotice how this report glosses over the role of Pinkerton and the other hired thugs companys brought in to bust up unions and strikes. It is unions that made the American mddle class, it is the blood that union men spilled in securing a fair wage and fair treatment, it is that tradition that the Tea Party and their Masters are assaulting.
Report Post »StuckInKali
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 6:24pmFunny, I‘m not union and I don’t have any of the problems you describe. I work 40 hours a week, own my own home, car, and make good wages. Why do I need union representaion???
Report Post »Markf
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 6:28pmCROMAG
Report Post »You sound like a serious socialist, enjoy your union. The union has not given me any thing, I have negotiated everything my employer gives me. There is a union in our utility but I REFUSE to join. That is why i get ahead and they do not, or does that piss you off?
With no due respect,
Mark f
Racer Pups
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 6:42pmCollective Bargaining is the tool afforded a Union that the single worker does not have. If they get the job done then they fulfilled their duty and earned their dues. If they protect the lazy, incompetent, wield power and influence, degrade the ability of an entity to compete in the market place then they should loose the privileges our free society affords them.
Report Post »A Mandatory Re-Certification vote every two years would keep them honest and on target. If you have a better idea, let’s hear it. Otherwise, you don‘t understand it’s Americanism that considers the other side and anything else does not.
encinom
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 8:03pmStuckInKali
Report Post »Posted on November 7, 2011 at 6:24pm
Funny, I‘m not union and I don’t have any of the problems you describe. I work 40 hours a week, own my own home, car, and make good wages. Why do I need union representaion???
______________________
You have that because of the struggles of the unions. You need to get on your knees and thank the unions for what they have done. It is because of the unions that we have benefts, weekends and a middle class.
antiencenom
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 9:02pmTodays union is not your grandfathers union
Report Post »Lloyd Drako
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 3:56pmSome of your instances of “union violence” are misleading to say the least!
The upheaval of 1877 began with a strike on the B & O, but within a few days it had become a general uprising of entire communities, union members and non-union members, up and down that line and others against railroad malfeasance.
In the 1886 Haymarket affair, the men hanged for the bombing were anarchists, not union leaders, and the evidence for their involvement was flimsy in the extreme.
At Homestead in 1892, as this article itself admits, the Pinkertons escorting strikebreakers fired first, and the union fought back in self-defense.
The Pullman Strike of 1894 likewise remained non-violent until President Cleveland sent in troops, which according to the Governor of Illinois was totally unnecessary and deliberately provocative.
Thought you’d like to know.
Report Post »In detroit
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 7:04pmOh loyd what shall we do with you , il give you this at least you atempted to read history and learn something , and yes you are correct it was the dearborn police , thank you for that correction and yes better free and poor , than a union slave amen good day sir
Report Post »Founding Father2
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 3:52pmOCCUPY LEARNED FROM THE UNION AND SHOWED IT ALL LAST WEEK, HERE FROM THE VICTIMS…
Did you hear about the old woman that was pushed down the stairs outside the Americans for Prosperity event on Friday. They pushed her down the stairs and kept cahnting at her. Now her and the other victims are speaking out. Must see: http://www.americanparchment.com/video/2011/nov/ows_granny_downstairs.html
Report Post »tobywil2
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 3:49pmUnions and the decline of the American automotive industry: http://commonsense21c.com/union-auto.html
Report Post »ArgumentumAdAbsurdum
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 8:37pmNonsense! The fall of American car companies can better be attributed to the fact that Europe and Japan got their factories up and running again. Its pretty easy to be top dog when you have no competition which US car companies enjoyed for decades after WW2 but once the competition, who produced more innovative practical and reliable products, was revived they were too slow to react and adjust.
Report Post »drphil69
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 3:42pmWhy no mention of union thugs destroying businesses to the point where there is no longer a business? I’ve seen this many times. The union employees (suckers, useful idiots) are out of jobs, while the union bosses give themselves pay raises. The business owners collect the insurance money for the damage, close shop, and start new businesses elsewhere.
THE ONLY ONES HURT ARE THE UNION EMPLOYEES.
Report Post »Lord_Frostwind
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 4:56pmDetroit and the Rust Belt, the union’s idea of “progress.” Honda does what it can to keep their workers out of the UAW and look at who is at least doing well compared to some of the others who are bleeding money like a broken artery.
Report Post »ArgumentumAdAbsurdum
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 8:43pmAre you saying that Honda is doing better because they dont have union labor? If so I should inform you that in Japan the vast majority of autoworkers are unionized.
Report Post »Lord_Frostwind
Posted on November 8, 2011 at 2:14amAmerican Honda’s production facilities in Marysville Ohio and in Alabama are not nonunion factories. while I can‘t speak for Japan’s factories, all the factories in the US and Canada are non union, and these factories make up the majority of the Honda Corporations vehicle production (pilots, odyssey’s, accords, civics and ridgelines are produced in the US and Canada). So yes, American Honda is not a part of the UAW and works hard to keep its employees out of it. And those factories have all done pretty well, as in not in debt to their eyeballs.
Report Post »Lord_Frostwind
Posted on November 8, 2011 at 2:15amSorry about the grammar, writing research papers doth wreck my syntax.
Report Post »1958Boomer
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 3:42pmMy intro to unions: Time: 1971 Place: Hercules Plant outside of Lake Charles, LA My father was a proud union member, supported them 100%. He and fellow union members were striking for safety issues. When the line got violent they told the members if you do as we tell you we’ll back you 100%. My father and others did get violent, my father in a fist fight, some others hit plant security guards with signs that had nails sticking out of them. After the incident my father was told to hold to the union mantra and they would take care of him and all the others. Soon though they started ignoring my dad and his fellow cohorts like the didn’t even know them. After negotiations my father and 3 others we indicted and sent to jail. After a month in jail the Lake Charrles DA came to my dad and told him how the union railroaded him and 3 others into jail in order for the unions to get what they wanted. The DA then got them out of jail. My mother who was fragile to begin with took her own life after my dad’s arrest. My brother and I were sent to be raised by my grandparents. My father could only find work doing odd jobs afterword. THE UNION DESTROYED MY FAMILY!
Report Post »Racer Pups
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 3:40pmI would like to start with a Federal Law requiring all organized Unions to have a MANDATORY re-certification vote every two years. That, I believe, would would quickly take Union membership below 5% of the total U.S. workforce.
Report Post »I believe the right to Collectively Bargain is needed and should be protected. It‘s the Monopoly that is created once a Union bullies it’s way into a company and uses the members dues to buy power and influence that cause the problems.
Also, I think Unionizing Government works should also be outlawed and while we are at it, there should be NO monies paid out by the Union for political purposes.
Mtroom
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 3:33pmI’m surprised that the “rednecks” aren’t on the list….I thought the coal miners got extremely violent too…Gonna hafta look that up again
Report Post »Although unions have been miss used, I did understand the need for them…Better working conditions and so forth…But they are and have been way out of control for many years..It‘s not pride anymore it’s greed.
encinom
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 8:09pmThe coal miners only responded to the hired thugs of the Coal Mne owners, mostly the pinkertons. They are not on the list, cause they do not fit the lies this article is telling.
Report Post »antiencenom
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 9:35pmBoo Who !!!
Report Post »Rickfromillinois
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 3:33pmThe best union story I heard was during WW2 the transportation union in Philadelphia went on strike because the city transportation company was starting to hire minorities. Since there were so many Defense companies affected including the Philadelphia Navel yards FDR sent in the U.S. Army to take charge. The General in charge finally got tired of the the whole thing and said that if the union workers didn’t return to work all of the Union members would immediately be drafted, would be trained to become infantry, and they would be assigned to the Divisions landing in Europe on D Day. No deferments regardless of age. Surprisingly enough, every single patriotic union worker returned to work instead of joining the Army. Thugs and cowards.
Report Post »ArgumentumAdAbsurdum
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 8:52pmInteresting, I guess that General also had a time machine. He would need one to be able to send strikers in August of 1944 back to June in order to land on D-Day. Not to mention the fact that it was not a union supported strike. The workers themselves went against the union to go on strike.
Report Post »blazingaway
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 3:30pmWhy am I paying taxes for police officers and firefighters when people like this are allow to roam the streets freely destroying property.
I guess speeding tickets and parking tickets and DUI‘s where no one else is hurt and no property is damaged and on one else’s freedom has been imposed upon.
Yeah, we need more and more of those brave public servants who get more money, benefits and retirement than me so they can keep going after me and allowing these mobs, thugs and criminals to do whatever they want.
Yes, I can see it now. Courage in action, life and death. I really don’t need a gun for self-defense the cops will always be there for me.
Report Post »Fight for America
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 3:06pmI see Chicago mentioned several times for the events listed. Why am I NOT surprised?
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 2:57pmThe unions, just as with the various #Occupy bands of useful idiots are being used for a means to an end — which many of us know is the collapse of the Republic and the transformation into a socialist progressive nation.
This mess of violence will only continue to escalate, and do not be suprised if the rapists among the various OWS groups happen to be union thugs sent in to put more pressure on people and intimidate those who refuse to shut up.
Glenns main web sight has a great article just listed about Van Jones helping to give out directions on covering crimes up. More and more pressure will be put and supported by the hyper panic causing media of the left as well for propaganda purposes.
Also, watch out for a series of riots that break out to also coordinate action on twitter, and to use them to stir up trouble with a modern twitter version of “War of the Worlds” of Orson Wells fame.
Report Post »In detroit
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 2:54pmYou didnt tell the best story of all when henry ford ordered the warren police to fire on the unions and they did it , what a visionary ol ford new what unions were trying to do destroy the U.S. Men were great back then , they stood up to lies and terony like dumbo
Report Post »JRook
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 3:03pmNot sure how a strike qualifies as violence, but hey nice try at contestable extension. You might want to be clearer about what exactly the strikes were in response to and how many times the violence was started by company paid union busters, the police and in some cases the military. Unions are not more or less a reflection of labor than the worst Executives are a reflection of Companies at large. There is a need for a balance between corporate profits and compensation of workers. When that is out of balance than there is an inevitable re-balancing. In either direction. Both need to be better citizens and do what is right for the country as a whole. At this point neither is doing that.
Report Post »JLGunner
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 3:16pm@ jrook open your eyes.Remember the verizon strike just a few months ago? Did you see the behavior of those folks? Did you see the video of the father telling his daughter to stand in front of a truck as he dropped f bomb after f bomb at the driver?
Report Post »Lloyd Drako
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 4:08pm@InDetroit:
So you think it is a good idea for a private business magnate to be able to “order” the police (the Dearborn, not the Warren police) to fire into a crowd of peaceful demonstrators?
Report Post »elosogrande
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 2:51pmI could be wrong, but I think that UAW workers killed one or more people in Wisconsin, when they tried to organize The Kohler Corporation. Also might have beat up a few employees, burned a few cars…a house or two…no biggy though.
Report Post »ClassicalLiberal
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 2:47pmRacism, Railroad Unions, and Labor Regulations
http://www.independent.org/publications/tir/article.asp?a=228
More History:
Report Post »http://www.lewrockwell.com/reynolds/reynolds21.1.html
momrules
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 2:46pmNo question about it, the unions are more powerful in this country than the President. They need taken down and out.
Report Post »Strat
Posted on November 8, 2011 at 12:56pmSo you have no problem with one man being all powerful but take issue with people organizing themselves for a common cause,not saying unions don’t have their faults,have you ever seen a list of all the executive orders the president has at his disposal…i would say he has more than enough power.
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 2:41pmUnion racism targeted limiting who could be employed and at what wage… vs… would be Monopolies who desired Slave Labor and Executives who want unlimited Wealth; Power hungry vs Power hungy; Evil vs Evil. Sometimes both sides are Wrong!
Report Post »IAMMADDOG
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 3:07pmYes Luke, and now we have labor laws that do EVERYTHING the unions were intended for. Now the unions are just guys forcing the workers to pay “protection money” wink wink.
Report Post »Strat
Posted on November 8, 2011 at 12:20pmThe idea that the masses are just here to make their masters rich and to serve them at the rate of pay they decide is sufficient is an old one indeed,it has been around since the beginning…they used to have slaves that you only had to feed and cloth a little,now they are “free”
Those who condemn unions for their negative aspects never seem to condemn business for its negative aspects,they have no problem with business pursuing its interest collectively yet expect workers to pursue their interest individually…that is like fighting a war where one side sends in its whole Army while the other side sends in one soldier.This society cannot be made up of only doctors,lawyers and other well paid professionsals,we all know we need the worker bees and those worker bees will either make a wage they can at least survive on or there will be constant unrest and a source of influence for the left.
Report Post »nohussein
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 2:32pmUnions are communists, pure and simple.
Report Post »Lloyd Drako
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 4:25pmYou don‘t know what you’re talking about. Lenin, the founder of modern communism, hated trade unionism because it suggested to workers that they might bargain for better terms within the capitalist system rather than realizing that their “historic mission” was to overthrow it. See his “What Is To Be Done?” (1902)
Report Post »voteallprogressivesout
Posted on November 7, 2011 at 4:45pmSoviet Union ! Emagine That….
Report Post »