A Federal License to Maim

UNION VIOLENCE is far more widespread in the U.S. than public opinion realizes. The National Right to Work Committee estimates that almost 6,000 violent incidents have occurred during strikes since 1975. But this is less surprising than it might appear since federal labor relations policy implicitly permits some workers to use violence against other workers. Thanks to the rulings of the National Labor Relations Board, a man’s right to sell his labor is often at the mercy of whether other men feel that sale will damage their bargaining positions.

When they do, mayhem can be the result. In 1990, the New York Daily News was dying financially largely because of the huge inefficiencies built into its union contracts. Delivery truck drivers routinely earned $100,000— though union restrictions on the number of newspaper bundles on each truck often meant the trucks went out half empty. Michael O’Neill, the former editor of the News, complained: “Even without adding any new automation, the News today has 50 per cent more workers than it needs.” Once the News announced plans for job cutbacks, the union struck.

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James Bovard

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UNION VIOLENCE is far more widespread in the U.S. than public opinion realizes. The National Right to Work Committee estimates that almost 6,000 violent incidents have occurred during strikes since 1975. But this is less surprising than it might appear since federal labor relations policy implicitly permits some workers to use violence against other workers. Thanks to the rulings of the National Labor Relations Board, a man’s right to sell his labor is often at the mercy of whether other men feel that sale will damage their bargaining positions.

When they do, mayhem can be the result. In 1990, the New York Daily News was dying financially largely because of the huge inefficiencies built into its union contracts. Delivery truck drivers routinely earned $100,000— though union restrictions on the number of newspaper bundles on each truck often meant the trucks went out half empty. Michael O’Neill, the former editor of the News, complained: “Even without adding any new automation, the News today has 50 per cent more workers than it needs.” Once the News announced plans for job cutbacks, the union struck.