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On Labor Day Remembering Union Violence In America
The Lid Blog ^ | Sep 1, 2019 | Jeff Dunetz

Posted on 09/01/2019 8:20:42 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum

Something usually not discussed on Labor Day weekend is the violence and thuggery which has always been part of the union movement. And it still happens. The history of the labor movement in the U.S. is littered with extremists who use violence to get their way.

At the beginning of the union movement, the violence was outer-directed; toward the government, management, or the police who were using violence themselves to destroy the labor movement. As the movement matured, the abuse became directed inward, targeted towards keeping the rank and file “in line,” going after replacement workers, or sabotaging the particular company under siege. Just like the fictional Johnny Friendly bullied Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) in “On The Waterfront” real live union bosses rule with an iron fist.

Union thuggery/violence has also become a political weapon; attacking members of the public who may disagree with the progressive-socialist politics championed by union management.

Led by the Knights of Labor (one of the first national unions), workers at the McCormick Harvesting Machine Co. in Chicago began a strike in the hope of gaining an 8-hour workday. Two days later, on May 3, police were used to protect strikebreakers, and a scuffle broke out; one person was killed and several others injured.

On Tuesday, May 4, a mass meeting of workers was called to protest the police actions the previous day. A crowd of 20,000 had been expected, but it was a cold rainy day, so only about 2,500 showed up to hear speeches by Albert Parsons, Samuel Fielden, and August Spies.

Responding to pressure from businessmen, 600 police reserves were called in duty that night at the West Chicago, Harrison, and Central stations near the site of the protests. An extra 100 officers were added to the Des Plains station, less than a...

(Excerpt) Read more at lidblog.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: laborday; righttowork; unions; unionthugs

1 posted on 09/01/2019 8:20:42 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Yes. I remember a man being assaulted in Philadelphia a few years ago by union goons and of another man who was hired for a job in Philly who had all his tools and equipment thrown into the Delaware River for daring to work on a job the union wanted.


2 posted on 09/01/2019 8:43:28 PM PDT by Amberdawn
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Yeah. There are bad examples out there for sure. But you can bet your behind that if it weren’t for labor unions, there wouldn’t be a Labor Day, and we’d be working for pennies and 6 days a week.


3 posted on 09/01/2019 10:32:28 PM PDT by vpintheak (Stop making stupid people famous!)
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To: vpintheak

No union ever has, ever can or ever will create a single job. Not one.


4 posted on 09/01/2019 10:48:09 PM PDT by jmacusa ("If wisdom is not the Lord, what is wisdom?''.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

I was cornered by union goons decades ago when I was a teenager and threatened with broken bones if I did not do what the union wanted (I quit that job immediately). I was threatened by union goons again two years ago and I suggested that they might want to back off (for reasons that I’ll leave out of this post) - and they backed off permanently. It’s amazing how good it feels not to bow down to evil thugs!


5 posted on 09/02/2019 2:26:50 AM PDT by Pollster1 ("Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed")
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To: Pollster1
I was cornered by union goons decades ago when I was a teenager and threatened with broken bones if I did not do what the union wanted (I quit that job immediately).

My brief time on a factory floor in a union shop convinced me to go back to college... and I hated the whole college experience. Up until then, I had never heard anyone seriously threaten to slash someone else's tires or assault their wife.

6 posted on 09/02/2019 3:48:54 AM PDT by niteowl77
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To: vpintheak
...if it weren’t for labor unions, there wouldn’t be a Labor Day, and we’d be working for pennies and 6 days a week.

That is THE MOST MORONIC STATEMENT on unions I have ever read.

You have exposed yourself as a leftwing communist...and probably don't even realize it.

7 posted on 09/02/2019 3:55:01 AM PDT by newfreep ("INSIDE EVERY PROGRESSIVE IS A TOTALITARIAN SCREAMING TO GET OUT" - DAVID HOROWITZ)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Unions have sabotaged jobs I have worked at and used government corruption to shut down my work on one job. Sad thing was I was not even competing with them. They just hate free American workers.

I despise Unions for the Leftist Thugrocracy they are.

However I have worked alongside some Unions that are professional and meet the quality standards I consider essential. But invariably they are slow, expensive and repressive to their workers.


8 posted on 09/02/2019 4:35:38 AM PDT by American in Israel (A wise man's heart directs him to the right, but the foolish mans heart directs him toward the left.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Bump


9 posted on 09/02/2019 4:56:23 AM PDT by Perseverando (For Progressives, Islamonazis, Statists, Commies & other DemoKKKrats: It's all about PEOPLE CONTROL!)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

bump


10 posted on 09/02/2019 5:23:33 AM PDT by sauropod (I am His and He is Mine)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
Here in metro Detroit, a friend's nephew was a member of a local sheet metal workers union. He was without work for over two years because they are forbidden from seeking work from non-union companies. The union finds them work and when the work ends, they go to the bottom of the job placement list.

Another thing, if they are caught working for a non-union company in their trade, they are fired from the union and the union has the right to sue them for the cost of their apprenticeship training.

In other words, the union owns you for the rest of your working life.

11 posted on 09/02/2019 5:32:39 AM PDT by Hot Tabasco (I'm in the cleaning business.......I launder money)
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To: newfreep

Wow. If you believe that, and especially about me, you are dumber than dog crap. Seriously. And you probably don’t even realize it.


12 posted on 09/02/2019 9:14:20 AM PDT by vpintheak (Stop making stupid people famous!)
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To: jmacusa

I don’t believe that unions are responsible for creating jobs.
Hear me. All unions are not created equal. There are plenty that now and currently exist to screw the employer and taxpayers, and even their ignorant hands themselves.
I am fortunate to work in a good union, and also with other good unions, who hold themselves to a high standard, hold our union accountable, and hold who we work for accountable. As it should be. Self funded retirement and health insurance.
It is ignorant to think that things would be good for workers if unions hadn’t stood for workers rights. Union membership is dropping, and that’s fine, as long as workers continue to be paid well and treated fairly.


13 posted on 09/02/2019 9:20:40 AM PDT by vpintheak (Stop making stupid people famous!)
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To: vpintheak
To listen to unions talk they're the end all and be all. I once belonged to a labor union-The Laborers International Union Of North America, AFof L CIO. At the time (70’s and 80’s) recognized by the FBI and Justice Department and the AFL , CIO itself as the most mob influenced and mob corrupted union in America. It's also ignorant to think that America would have remained some kind of dystopian workers gulag of terrible working conditions and slave wages. Americans don't think of themselves as powerless pawns in the grip of dictatorial employers. The free market and competition determines labors worth. Unions bargain everyone off the table and are the number one reasons jobs leave the country. At least that is until recently.
14 posted on 09/02/2019 12:48:51 PM PDT by jmacusa ("If wisdom is not the Lord, what is wisdom?''.)
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To: jmacusa

I don’t agree with everything you said, but yeah; many unions have earned their reputations. I have a friend who’s dad was in the Teamsters. When he had to work to support the family (Teamsters were on strike for rape the company wages) they terrorized the family until his Dad threatened some of them with a gun.
But it is undeniable unions did a lions share of the work for fair wages and safe working conditions. The tie may now be fading for unions, and I am honestly OK with that. However, I am glad to be in a GOOD union right now.


15 posted on 09/02/2019 1:02:06 PM PDT by vpintheak (Stop making stupid people famous!)
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To: vpintheak

Unionism doesn’t create wealth. They siphon it off.


16 posted on 09/02/2019 1:03:36 PM PDT by jmacusa ("If wisdom is not the Lord, what is wisdom?''.)
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To: niteowl77

I was pleasantly surprised that the goons never came back at me after the most recent time I was threatened. I told them that I didn’t want a business discussion to end with someone in a body bag. They never threatened me again and didn’t go after anyone in my family either. I don’t want to kill anyone, but there is no way in the world I’m going to let union goons bully me (plus I do have the training and resources to deal with thugs if necessary - not 100% but odds good enough to bet my life if it’s a choice between that and letting domestic terrorists intimidate me).


17 posted on 09/02/2019 1:20:36 PM PDT by Pollster1 ("Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed")
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
I believe that a group of people should be able to bargain as a unit for their labor and business should consider what advantage that will bring to the business. Business should then be able to act accordingly to accept or reject the collective Union offer. However; my experience with unions has not been good. I spent time as an engineer in aerospace and the unions did nothing to create innovation, streamline processes or insure quality. Their sole purpose was to maintain and expand the existence of the union. They promoted inefficiency, protected incompetence and created a hostile relation between the production/service workers and the engineering/management team.

I was often the subject of a Union Grievance, at first, because I did not understand their rules governing the control of their employees. And later just because they needed to teach me a lesson. Any time I entered the shop floor to discuss a design with the machinists, the Union Steward would interject himself between me and the person I wanted to see. I had to ask the Union Steward my question, he would decide if the question was valid and then ask the machinist. The machinist would reply. The Steward would then repeat the answer to me.

The only thing the Union ever did for me was give me a day off. The Machinist Union had gone on strike. While pulling into the company parking lot, one of the machinists yelled that I would be lucky to have a car at the end of the day. This was a guy that I had worked cordially with for 2 years. I turned around, went home and called in saying that I had been threatened by the Union and was not coming in. I went to the beach.

The environment created by the Unions was part of the reason I left aerospace and moved on to Union-Free Silicon Valley and had a great career.

18 posted on 09/02/2019 4:05:38 PM PDT by super7man (Madam Defarge, knitting, knitting, always knitting)
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