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January 17, 2006
More Of The Same
Recently I posted on the corruption of the nation's core educators' union. An organization that began as a protective association for teachers and metamorphosized into something entirely different, not at all representative of its dues paying constituency.
Well, this is not an isolated incident, as they say; Evidently this kind of thing has spread like a cancer into the infrastructures of other unions, not least among which is the United Farm Workers(UFW).
According to Columnist Ruben Navarrette, Jr.,
Discussing the Jack Abramoff congressional lobbying scandal, some have invoked the colorful saying — often attributed to Eric Hoffer, a longshoreman-turned-philosopher of the 20th century — that every great cause begins as a movement, degenerates into a business and winds up a racket.I can't help but think how beautifully, and how tragically, that phrase sums up the moral trajectory of the United Farm Workers union over the last 40 years. What began as a worthwhile cause — to bring dignity to farm workers — eventually became a national movement, then a family business. And now, the evidence suggests, it has become a racket.
Posted by Seth at January 17, 2006 12:48 AM
Comments
I didn't know this about the UFW...wow. Unions ruin a lot.
Posted by: Raven at January 17, 2006 04:45 AM
They do. They accumulate a lot of money and power, then their leaders become majorly corrupt and greedy, and come to care less and less about the members who put them where they are.
Running a big union isn't much different, these days, from the racketeering people often associate with them.
Posted by: Seth at January 17, 2006 05:05 AM
