I had a very close call as a non-union truck driver in the mid seventies when the union thugs shut down the highways around Chicago. A group came up to my truck and a couple of them wanted to bust my legs and arms. I was eighteen at the time and the leader of them let me go. There had been some shootings and other non-union guys beaten badly, so I felt quite lucky to escape without harm. To this day I have great hatred not only for unions and their thugs, but for the police and the state of Illinois that allowed this to happen without arresting any union thugs.
It's the Chicago Way...
Frightening experience you had. It's absolutely distressing that such things can happen in America.