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There is also the association of Unions with Organized Crime in the US. In the early 20th century unions got into bed with, or were infiltrated by, organized cr

by mreome 8y ago

There is also the association of Unions with Organized Crime in the US. In the early 20th century unions got into bed with, or were infiltrated by, organized criminal organizations and were used to extort other businesses and the government. The legacy of this is an image of corruption and “Union Thugs.” This image is used by management to make these potential issues seem like they are intended to line someone else’s pocket, thus making the idea of Union Dues and Strikes very unappealing. To be clear, I’m generally pro-union as well, as long as the union rules/dues/etc are reasonable, just discussing where US anti-union attitudes might be coming from.

mywittyname 8y ago
A lot of this is the direct result of union busting. Companies hired essentially private militias to come in and bully/repress workers who were attempting to organize. As a result, those workers turned to another group of essentially private militias to help stand up for them. Not that the criminals did this out of the kindness of their hearts. It turns out that being in charge of the Teamsters Union comes in handy when you're in the business of importing illicit goods.
- KirinDave 8y ago
  It's extremely easy for Americans to gloss over the fact that until significant work reforms culminating in the Sherman anti-trust act, it was not unheard of (or, crazily enough, illegal) for super-companies like Standard Oil to enlist the US army in literal massacres with body counts over 100 when unions lead strikes. Being a union leader in the so-called "Gilded Age" of Rockafeller put you in alliance with other anti-government actors of varying quality as a matter of survival. As the government subsequently became more receptive to guaranteeing some degree of workers rights and benefits and limiting the power of super-billionaires, the necessity of allying with these elements fell apart in messy way.
  - colejohnson66 8y ago
    The Ludlow Massacre? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludlow_Massacre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludlow_Massacre

by mreome 8y ago

mywittyname 8y ago

A lot of this is the direct result of union busting. Companies hired essentially private militias to come in and bully/repress workers who were attempting to organize. As a result, those workers turned to another group of essentially private militias to help stand up for them. Not that the criminals did this out of the kindness of their hearts. It turns out that being in charge of the Teamsters Union comes in handy when you're in the business of importing illicit goods.

KirinDave 8y ago
It's extremely easy for Americans to gloss over the fact that until significant work reforms culminating in the Sherman anti-trust act, it was not unheard of (or, crazily enough, illegal) for super-companies like Standard Oil to enlist the US army in literal massacres with body counts over 100 when unions lead strikes. Being a union leader in the so-called "Gilded Age" of Rockafeller put you in alliance with other anti-government actors of varying quality as a matter of survival. As the government subsequently became more receptive to guaranteeing some degree of workers rights and benefits and limiting the power of super-billionaires, the necessity of allying with these elements fell apart in messy way.
- colejohnson66 8y ago
  The Ludlow Massacre? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludlow_Massacre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludlow_Massacre