Human Events commentator Deroy Murdock has done a masterful job of highlighting Big Labor’s hypocritical philosophy to “do as I say, not as I do.” Among the enumerated examples:
• United Federation of Teachers employee Jim Callaghan was fired for attempting to start a union among the employees of the UFT.
• Philadelphia union boss Henry Nicholas refused to recognize a bargaining unit of 20 of his own staffers at the AFSCME, despite the fact that “all staffers” had signed cards.
• Teamster president Jimmy Hoffa chided his unionized employees during recent negotiations, asking “that workers share in the prudent belt-tightening,” adding he will not “commit to a collective bargaining agreement that jeopardizes the financial health of your International Union.” He concluded: “Though it pains us to do so, we must make contingency plans to operate in the event of a labor dispute.”
• When the UAW fired 120 of its staff, and the remaining staffers rejected its austere contract proposal, the union bosses imposed it on the workers.
• UFCW Local 971 in Massachusetts sacked 40% of its business agents with no warning. (I wonder who is representing the employees…)
• Dozens of SEIU staffers picketed the SEIU national headquarters when 75 employees were axed.
• When the Teamsters built their new union hall in Houston, they didn’t use union labor because it was too expensive.
• When the AFL-CIO refurbished its Washington, D.C. headquarters, it used non-union electricians and construction workers to “save us some money.”
• Unions have continued to hire non-union workers to picket employers for hiring non-union workers.
Perhaps Big Labor needs a spoonful of its own medicine.
