Union Bosses Fight to Stay Relevant

Labor unions are so livid that the Democratic Party is having its national convention in North Carolina—a right to work state, and the country’s least unionized—that they are staging a shadow convention in Philadelphia on Aug. 11 in protest.

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Spokesman Jim Spellane said: “This isn’t about Charlotte; it’s not about the Democratic convention. The bigger issue here is getting people back to work and creating jobs and economic growth and opportunity in America.”

Noble goals indeed! To secure them, all states—including Pennsylvania—would do well to follow North Carolina’s lead, and become right-to-work. Not only do workers in right-to-work states get to keep their jobs without being forced to join a union, but they also do better economically with higher personal income and compensation than forced union states.

But we suspect the unions’ Philly fanfare has less to do with creating jobs and preserving the middle class than it is about protecting union bosses’ interests as membership plummets and taxpayers wise up to how union demands are fuelling unsustainable costs for our children. It’s no wonder unions want to stage a convention where they get top celebrity billing.