current events

I came from a household that lived and breathed unionism. My grandfather was a union member in the South when it was tough to organize there. We had to have a union label on food, clothes or whatever we bought. My grandfather fought with lead pipes and other means to defeat scabs, as he called them. However he feared the day that his beloved AFofL would become like the CIO and he died in 1945. I am glad that he did not see his union taken over by thugs. My father was a member of the Railroad engineers union. He changed his mind about unions before he died in 1984 and swore to always vote Republican. However he voted Democrat for five years after his death before I had his name purged from the voting list. Unions don't mean the same today and Linda Chavez really makes the point.

Linda Chavez came up professionally through labor union channels and knows unions from a unique insider's point of view. Added to this are years of experience working with unions and watching the results of their actions. Chavez captures the unfortunate manner in which organizations that were originally designed to protect and advance workers have been irreparably corrupted. Now unions have become little more than political/economic machines themselves that abuse and steal from the very people who support them.
This is an extremely well-written and documented book, presented in the smooth, readable style that characterizes Linda Chavez's works. It is a must read for all who are concerned with the underhanded political abuse that is corrupting the selection process for our elected officials. Buy it today, you will enjoy it.

I came from a union family. We loved FDR. Our bread and clothes had to have the union label. However my grandfather was an old AFL trade union plumber. The union had an active program of apprenticship that garanteed a qualified worker through written and practical tests. My grandfather dispised the CIO that he did not live to see them join with the AFofL as he called it. He also had owned his own business which he lost in the Great Depression. His favorite quote "If you hire a union man he will make money for your business." This is no longer the case. Unions have gone boom and bust. I am sure that the unions have become too strong in the political realm and not caring about the quality of workmanship or the improvement of the plight of the business person. I admire the courage of Linda Chavez because many of these union thugs are dangerous. I refused to join or pay dues to the NEA union here and I was almost shunned by other teachers. However our state has a right to work law. I am a Republican and I did not want to donate to left wing Democrats. I used to be a Democrat before I served in the military during the Vietnam war and the Dems produced jerks like J.F. Kerry. Many teachers are too timid to refuse entry into this sordid union.