When Unions get Violent

Last Wednesday, men clutching baseball bats attacked construction workers at the King of Prussia mall outside Philadelphia. Workers arriving to the site of the new Toys-R-Us store found their entrance blocked by protesters of Local 401 of the Iron Workers Union. The non-Union construction workers waited in a mall parking for police assistance. Shortly after, a black sedan rolled up to the two construction vehicles, the passengers of the car proceeded to bash in the windows. When a few workers left the trucks, two were beaten, with one having to be hospitalized.

In another recent occurrence, towards the end of May, SEIU union members protested outside the home of Greg Baer, deputy general counsel at Bank of America. The union members were driven to the home in 14 school buses and received a police escort. Baer’s terrified 14 year old son was home alone, and locked himself in a bathroom until his father arrived.

These are not a isolated events; since 1975, there have been more than 9,000 reports of union violence.