THERE COMES A TIME WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, BUT SOMETIMES I FEEL THAT THE HUMAN ANIMAL'S CAPACITY FOR STUPIDITY IS ABSOLUTELY UNPARALLELED. THERE IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE TO BE FOUND IN ORGANIZED LABOR, WHICH, IT IS STILL WIDELY BELIEVED, IS RUN BY ORGANIZED CRIME. EVEN IF IT ISN'T, THE SIMILARITIES ARE SO GREAT THAT YOU CAN'T TELL THEM APART WITHOUT A SCORE CARD. ORGANIZED CRIME AND ORGANIZED LABOR ARE BOTH BEING RUN BY GREEDY BASTARDS WHO REALLY DON'T GIVE A RAT'S ASS ABOUT THE LITTLE GUY AS LONG AS THEY HAVE THEIR $10 MILLION HOME, THE BIG MERCEDES BENZ, THE SURGICALLY ENHANCED TROPHY WIFE, AND THE KIDS GOING TO AN EXCLUSIVE PRIVATE SCHOOL.
SO, HOW CAN THE UNION LEADERS AFFORD ALL THAT? THERE'S THAT THING CALLED "UNION DUES", WHICH ENABLE THE UNION FIGUREHEADS TO AFFORD ALL THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE WHILE THE LITTLE GUYS IN THE TRENCHES, PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND ME, SWEAT THEIR TESTICLES OFF TO KEEP THE FOOD ON THEIR TABLES AND A ROOF OVER THEIR HEADS. AMERICA HAS BEEN SO CONDITIONED FOR SO LONG THAT LABOR UNIONS ARE GOOD FOR US THAT WE HAVE LOST THE ABILITY TO SEE HOW WE'RE BEING RAPED BY THEM, AND THEY DON'T EVEN HAVE THE COURTESY TO OFFER US A CIGARETTE AFTERWARDS.
TO BE PERFECTLY HONEST, IN THE VERY BEGINNING, UNIONS ACTUALLY WERE HELPFUL AND SERVED A PURPOSE. BECAUSE OF UNIONS, WE GOT THE 40-HOUR WORK WEEK AND MINIMUM WAGE LAWS. AFTER THIS, THE HONEYMOON WAS OVER. SOMEONE REALIZED HOW MUCH MONEY THERE WAS TO BE MADE WITH UNION DUES, AND THAT'S WHEN ORGANIZED CRIME MOVED IN. IT WAS SAID FOR A LONG TIME THAT THE MOB, OR MAFIA IF YOU WILL, TOOK OVER MUCH OF THE UNIONS' SPHERE OF INFLUENCE. THE FACT THAT MANY UNION OFFICIALS WERE ITALIAN DIDN'T HELP THE STEREOTYPE, EXCEPT IT WASN'T A STEREOTYPE, WAS IT?
STRONG-ARM METHODS BECAME THE NORM AS "SHOP STEWARDS" AND THEIR GOONS MOVED IN AND "CONVINCED" WORKERS TO JOIN THEM BY OFFERING SUCH GREAT INCENTIVES AS KEEPING YOUR KNEECAPS IN ONE PIECE AND YOUR WIFE AND KIDS SAFE. SOMETIMES, SHOPS RESISTED THE UNION OFFERS, AND THEIR OWNERS FOUND OUT JUST HOW FIREPROOF THEIR BUILDINGS WERE.
TODAY, SUCH THINGS ARE RARELY SEEN OR DONE, TO BE HONEST. WHAT WE HEAR ABOUT MOST IS WHAT HAPPENS TO "SCABS". "SCABS" ARE NON-UNION WORKERS BROUGHT IN BY COMPANY MANAGEMENT TO KEEP THEIR BUSINESSES GOING IN THE FACE OF A STRIKE. SOME SCABS HAVE BEEN ACCOSTED BY UNION GOONS AND BEATEN UP, BUT OTHER METHODS HAVE BECOME A HALLMARK OF UNION ACTIVITY. SOME OF THESE INCLUDE THE POPULAR "SUGAR IN THE GAS TANK" STUNT AND THE ALWAYS FUNNY AND EFFECTIVE TIRE SLASHING. NOTHING SAYS "STAY AWAY FROM HERE" TO A SCAB QUITE AS SUCCINTLY AS FINDING ALL THE TIRES ON HIS CAR CUT AND FLAT.
LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT AN EXPERIENCE I HAD WITH A UNION BACK IN THE MID 70'S. THE COMPANY WAS A MAJOR EAST COAST DEPARTMENT STORE THAT HAD BRANCHES IN CALIFORNIA. I WAS WORKING IN NEW JERSEY, VERY SATISFIED WITH THE MONEY AND THE PERKS OF THE JOB, WHICH WERE GOOD FOR THAT ERA. THE UNION WAS AFTER MORE MONEY FOR A PROJECT, SO THEY ORGANISED A STRIKE, SAYING THEY WANTED A RAISE AND REFUSING THE COMPANY OFFER OF BETTER MEDICAL BENEFITS AND BIGGER EMPLOYEE DISCOUNTS.
KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS WAS 30 YEARS AGO. I WAS MAKING ABOUT $145 A WEEK PLUS COMMISION--AGAIN, A GOOD AMOUNT FOR THOSE DAYS. WHEN THE UNION ORGANISED THE STRIKE, THEY PROMISED TO PAY THEIR MEMBERS DURING THE STRIKE IN THE AMOUNT OF $60 A WEEK. LET ME EMPHASIZE THIS: DURING THE STRIKE, MOST OF THE UNION MEMBERS WOULD TAKE A MORE THAN 50% PAY CUT TO GO AROUND WAVING SIGNS, TELLING ALL WHO WOULD LISTEN TO THEM ABOUT THE CRAZY, DICTATORIAL LOONIES RUNNING THE COMPANY, AND HOW NO ONE SHOULD SHOP THERE. DID THOSE WACKOS STOP TO THINK THAT AFTER THE STRIKE, THEY WOULD HAVE TO CONVINCE PEOPLE TO GO TO THEIR STORES AGAIN? OF COURSE NOT! THEY WERE SUFFERING FROM THAT DREAD ILLNESS UNIONITIS CEREBELLUS IDIOTEM, WHICH CAUSES THE SUSPENSION OF RATIONAL THINKING BY SUBSTITUTING UNION IDEAS FOR COMMON SENSE.
ME? I CONTINUED WORKING AT MY NORMAL POSITION IN DEFIANCE OF THE UNION, EARNING MY NORMAL WAGE, AND ACTUALLY MAKING A TON MORE MONEY BECAUSE I COVERED FOR SOME OF THE PICKETERS WHO WERE OUTSIDE LOSING THEIR CARS AND HOMES. I WAS MET ONE MORNING BY A UNION GOON WHO TOLD ME I SHOULDN'T BE WORKING AGAINST WHAT THE UNION WAS TRYING TO ACHIEVE, AND TRIED TO PUNCTUATE THAT BY SHOWING ME A CLUB HE ASSURED ME HE KNEW HOW TO USE. I FED HIM HIS OWN TEETH, AND WAS NEVER BOTHERED BY ANOTHER UNION STRONGMAN AGAIN.
WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME? THE STRIKERS GOT 2 CENTS AN HOUR MORE--NO EXTRA MEDICAL OR DISCOUNT BENEFITS AT ALL. THEY HAILED IT AS A GREAT VICTORY, AND THE UNION QUIETLY CELEBRATED BY RAISING THEIR MEMBERSHIP DUES FROM $4.50 PER MONTH TO $11.75 PER MONTH, USING THAT EXTRA MONEY TO COMPLETE THEIR ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED PROJECT AND REASON FOR THE STRIKE, WHICH WAS THE CONSTRUCTION OF A BRAND NEW $8 MILLION HEADQUARTERS BUILDING AND COMPANY CARS FOR UNION LEADERS. THE WORKERS NEVER WERE ABLE TO PUT THE PIECES TOGETHER AND REALIZE THEY WERE ROYALLY SCREWED BY THE UNION. I QUIT MY JOB THERE AND WENT TO A PLACE WHERE THEY HAD NO UNION. BY THE WAY, THE NEW HEADQUARTERS WAS BUILT BY NON-UNION LABOR BECAUSE "UNION LABOR WAS TOO EXPENSIVE".
[NOTE: THE NEXT TWO PARAGRAPHS REFER TO UNION ACTIVITY IN LATE 2003 ONLY] RIGHT NOW IN CALIFORNIA, WE ARE BEING HIT HARD BY TWO SIMULTANEOUS STRIKES. ONE OF THEM IS IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY, WHERE THE MECHANICS WHO MAINTAIN THE BUSES HAVE WALKED OFF THE JOB, KEEPING BUSES OFF THE STREETS AND FORCING SOME 500,000 PEOPLE A DAY TO FIND ALTERNATE WAYS INTO LOS ANGELES. THIS IS CAUSING TRAFFIC JAMS AND INCREASES POLLUTION, BUT THE UNION DOESN'T CARE AS LONG AS THEY GET WHAT THEY WANT.
THE OTHER STRIKE IS IN ORANGE COUNTY, WHERE GROCERY WORKERS ORGANISED AGAINST VON'S SUPERMARKETS, AND IN RETALIATION, MANAGEMENT OF TWO OTHER CHAINS WITH THE SAME UNION, RALPH'S AND ALBERTSON'S, HAVE LOCKED OUT UNION WORKERS. THE STORES, THOSE DIRTY LOW-DOWN SO-AND-SOS, HAVE HAD THE AUDACITY TO ASK UNION WORKERS TO HELP PAY FOR THEIR MEDICAL COVERAGE. HOW MUCH? $5 A WEEK FOR INDIVIDUALS, AND $15 A WEEK FOR FAMILIES. I KNOW PEOPLE WHO WOULD KILL TO PAY SO LITTLE. THE STRIKING WORKERS' SOLUTION IS RIGHT THERE IN THEIR COLLECTIVE FACES---GET RID OF THE UNIONS, AND THE MONEY YOU'LL SAVE ON UNION DUES WILL PAY FOR THE MEDICAL COVERAGE CO-PAYMENT.
UNIONS ARE DESTROYING THE FOUNDATION OF AMERICA, AND THE STUPIDITY OF UNIONS IS EVIDENT IN THE FACT THAT THEY ARE ORGANIZING STRIKES IN CALIFORNIA, A PLACE WHERE EVERYTHING IS SO OVERPRICED THAT AN EXTENDED STRIKE WITH THE REDUCED WEEKLY AMOUNT THE UNIONS ARE PAYING THE STRIKERS COULD CAUSE MANY OF THESE RANK-AND-FILE MEMBERS TO LOSE THEIR HOMES. DO THEY CARE? NOT AT ALL---THE MONEY THEY'VE MADE FROM THE UNION DUES WILL KEEP THEM IN THEIR PALATIAL HOMES AND HIGH PRICED LUXURY CARS FOR QUITE A WHILE.
DO YOU THINK THE GROCERY WORKERS WILL GET A LOT OF SYMPATHY? NOT FROM ANYONE WITH COMMON SENSE. THE AVERAGE GROCERY WORKER NOW MAKES TWICE WHAT I DO ON MY REGULAR JOB, AND DOES A LOT LESS WORK FOR THAT MONEY.
THE TIME HAS COME TO GET RID OF LABOR UNIONS IN THIS COUNTRY BEFORE THEY DESTROY IT. THIS IS ONE OF MY GOALS FOR MY RUN FOR THE OFFICE OF PRESIDENT IN 2004. I WILL GET RID OF UNIONS AND ESTABLISH FAIR SALARY AND HOUSING CAPS THAT WILL ENABLE EVERYONE TO MAKE A LIVING IN AMERICA, EVEN IN CALIFORNIA. IN 2004, VOTE FOR A BETTER AMERICA. VOTE CHIEF JACK FOR PRESIDENT!
