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It may not happen and you might be right. But, the freedom to organize and to do collective bargining should be a right enjoyed by any democracy. Wait, maybe we're not a democracy anymore...

For more information on why I think it is important to be able to organize, see the book, "The Marion Massacre" on the Marion, NC strikes. Those folks killed for striking were my family.

Thanks for your comments. I haven't read that book, but the violent response to union organizing in the past was despicable.

Another great book to read is "Homestead" which tells a lot about the formation of unions for steel mill workers. Many were killed in organizing when the steel mills began.

It also tells of 6 day work weeks of very long hours and double shifts and terribly unsafe conditions and the "company stores".

Forget all those libraries that Andrew Carnegie donated. Men had time to work, eat and hardly sleep, let alone find time to read a book. Carnegie used Pittsburgh's natural resources and cheap labor force and loved to spend most of his time back in Scotland caring little or nothing about the labor force and their families.

Harry S. and Ronald R. knew how to handle union's who would disrupt and put the good of the country in jeopardy.

The only stories that the previous posters failed to mention were
the ones where union thugs beat and killed those who refused to vote for unionization. They forgot to mention the people who had once been union and grew tired of the strikes and not being able to feed their families on strike pay, while the bigshot leaders rolled in cash, fancy suits, big cars and fancy houses didn't care one iota about the rank and file. They didn 't mention those who had worked for the company for years and choose to cross the picket lines and were beaten, cars destroyed, shot at, houses burned, and a number killed , all because they choose to express their rights to work and to feed their families. I believe that is called selective memory.

My late father-in-law and lifelong UMW member said it well when he told me that the unions had outlived their usefulness since they had become like televanglist only interested in numbers and dues. A wise man was he.

Mr P,

True those things happened too. A great example would be Hoffa and the power of the truckers. Yes, the balance of power shifted. Many union leaders became more corrupt than management.

But in the beginning it was management who chose to work people to death and not provide safe conditions or fair wages. It was also management who beat and killed people for wanting to join a union.

And it is true that many steel workers in the union just priced themselves out of their jobs.

In certain occupations though, unions are still needed when workers are not represented fairly.

p.s. I loved Ronald Reagan. He was one of our best presidents.

Pitt, I appreciate your civil exchange. It seems that unions even in Australia are beginning to crumble because they have either outlived their usefullness or become so corrupt that the people will no longer tolerate them. Only in socialist Europe are they maintaining the stranglehold over governments and peoples. That I don't feel will change anytime soon.

The Marion Massacre
My G Grandfather was Tilden Lee Carver , he was shot in the neck at the union strike and died 9 days later
Linda