George Leef’s latest column for Forbes takes aim once again at labor unions.
Contemplate, if you will, these two facts.
First, you’ve almost certainly heard about the videos that exposing the grisly business of Planned Parenthood (PP) in selling fetal body parts. Should Americans who think that this is a moral abomination be compelled to help fund this organization?
Many union members have to “contribute” to PP.
Last year, unions gave over $400,000 to PP and its political action fund. As Heritage Foundation’s James Sherk and Christa Deneault point out in this piece, the unions did not have to bother to find out whether the members who dues funded this “generosity” approve of supporting PP or not.
If they had asked, “Do you approve of having $X of your dues money go to support Planned Parenthood,” many no doubt would have said, “Absolutely not.” But due to the extraordinary power given to Big Labor under the law, the wishes of the individuals don’t matter. They can’t say “no” — unless they’re willing to quit their jobs.
The second fact concerns the recent trial, conviction, and sentencing of Joseph Dougherty, long-time business manager of Ironworkers Local 401 in Philadelphia. (You can read about the case here and here.)
Dougherty and eleven of his subordinates were convicted of assault, vandalism, and arson, all aimed at terrorizing non-union workers and companies so that Philadelphia could remain a “union only” town.
Union violence against anyone who doesn’t toe the line has a long, ugly history.
