LABOR DAY REVIEW OF UNIONS

"Labor day is a good time to review the history of labor unions in this country. There was a time when the unions were vital to better the conditions of the American worker. As the President celebrates with the AFL-CIO we should examine what is being celebrated. It could be that the first child labor laws were passed in 1836 in Massachusetts. It might be the formation of the coal miners union in the 1870's or the railroad workers in 1877, perhaps it was 1905 when the ILGWU helped put an end to sweat shops. More likely it is the fact that labor unions are a large group of supporters of the Democrat party.

Maybe the celebration has to do with the demise of many airlines, the steel industry or ship building in this country. All driven out by high labor costs. After all, as Democrats are fond to point out, Industry is evil. Why then has union membership declined from 33% of the workforce, in 1955 to 12.5% today? Workers in the public sector make up 36.5% of today's union workers. Without government help the percentage would most likely be lower. Unions have become just another minority group and we should celebrate their victories with the same fervor as the victory in the Spanish-American War."