MY sentiments toward labor unions tend to be more positive than not; although I was never a union member, having always been on the 'management' side of things, I come from a long line of people who were, some in industries, such as mining and steel, that historically clearly benefited from unionization. As large-scale labor exploitation is still widely practiced and facilitated by equally exploitative government policy in many places — including this country — unions still have a vital role to play.

That does not mean, however, that unions should not be regarded without skepticism, or held to account for their own forms of exploitation. Unions have improved the livelihoods of countless workers all over the world, but there are also countless historic examples of union membership amounting to workers exchanging one abusive overlord for another. Unions are as capable of being greedy and corrupt as any corporation or government, and in the end, it is the workers whose welfare they claim to protect who must bear the consequences.