Overlawyered: Chronicling The High Cost Of Our Legal System

Union violence and legal impunity

Philadelphia: “Union Workers *Probably* Torched a Quaker Meetinghouse Over Christmas” [John Ross; Steve Volk, Philadelphia Magazine] The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has compiled a report [PDF] on ways in which state laws exempt unions and their members from otherwise applicable criminal laws [Sean Higgins, Washington Examiner (“Union organizing exempted from stalking laws in four states”), Nathan Benefield/Commonwealth Foundation] Columnist Fred Wszolek says the sponsors of “Freedom from Workplace Bullies Week” might need to cast their net a bit wider. And see
August 1999 post in this space (unions have secured for themselves immunities from civil liability far more extensive than most businesses dream of); Grover Norquist/Patrick Gleason, Reuters (exemptions from anti-stalking laws).

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6 Comments

  • Was this a Quaker meetinghouse as in church? If so, wouldn’t this be a hate crime? Where’s the DOJ? They certainly were involved when someone was burning Black Churches? Never mind — I know the answer.

    • By Ed

  • Let’s not forget Judges and District Attorneys covering for them either. In 1989 my car was firebombed during a labor dispute. GMAC was paid off by my employer, the two guys, who did it were arrested, but the DA and the Judge didn’t want to get involved in a labor dispute in an election year, so the charges were dropped.

  • Did you ever notice that most of the union thuggery takes place in Democratic strongholds ? I think we have the Democrats next election slogan – “Home of Union Thugs, Ambulance Chasers and People Who Think The World Owes Them A Living”

  • Gee ed, I’d like to hear the answer.

    • By Frank

  • In the late 80’s,in a case of blatant criminal trespass on the sales floor of a Woolworth store in Flint, MI, the local police refused to act to eject them, claiming the union thugs had a right to invade the premises as it was open to the public. It took local counsel threatening the DA with mandamus to get them to act. My experience has been a discernible reluctance on the part of the so called “peacekeepers,” to act to protect property from union violence, particularly among those officers who are themselves members of the union.

  • […] brothers who are standing up to union violence in Philadelphia construction [Jillian Melchior, NR, earlier] […]