Serial: History of Labor Unions - Part 2

Unions have been an influential force in America with some very positive results. Child labor laws, the eight-hour workday, weekends off — all can be directly attributed to the labor movement of the late 1800s. The vast majority of union members are patriotic, hard-working Americans. But there is a seedy underbelly to labor unions. The cauldrons of socialism, Marxism and communism, unions have fomented violence as far back as 1877. Employing both a mixture of Marxism and violence, early radical unions favored waging warfare against the capitalist society and its leaders. In modern times, Democratic allies in Congress have encouraged getting “a little bloody when necessary.” Unions became enmeshed with another seedy ally during the 20th century: the Mafia. The 20th century labor wars opened up vast new territory to Mafia influence and domination. Organized crime would move in on unions and employers nationwide, soaking up the wages and pension funds of union members, while extorting huge payoffs from businesses in return for labor peace. The mafia would take control of major international unions and find its way into executive boardrooms.