Ugly Union Violence

"Kick the (expletive) out of every last one of them."

That's what AFL-CIO top boss Richard Trumka said about workers who wouldn't follow his dictates back when he was the head of the violent United Mine Workers (UMW) union.

In fact, Trumka's in-their-face, podium-pounding rhetoric often seemed to invite violence against workers who dared to challenge the union-boss line and continued working in order to provide for their families.

UMW strikes were marked by extreme levels of militancy and violence, most notably the 1993 murder of Eddie York.

I discussed York's murder this week on WIBA Radio in Madison, Wisconsin, in light of Trumka's recent attempt to politicize the horrible tragedy in Tucson by lecturing other Americans about their language.

As I tell host Vicki McKenna, Richard Trumka is either disturbingly self-unaware or cynically hypocritical.

A judge in Virginia found regarding a 1989 UMW strike that "the evidence shows beyond any shadow of a doubt that violent activities are being organized, orchestrated and encouraged by the leadership of this union."

Please click here to listen to the interview, in which we also discuss the push in Wisconsin for a state Right to Work law, which would protect independent-minded workers while making union bosses more accountable to rank-and-file members by allowing workers to "vote with their wallets."

And for more about Richard Trumka's ugly career, download the National Right to Work Foundation's fact sheet.

I'm sure you'll be as disturbed as I am by his blatant hypocrisy.

Sincerely,