Although events from Japan, Libya, and Jerusalem, along with the passing of Elizabeth Taylor, dominate the headlines on this day, unions continue to make the news, including a blog post written by my colleague Dan Davis last month. I just googled news for labor unions and retrieved more than 400 items.

Why did I google labor union news? Because of two articles I read today online that reminded me just how far unions have come since the concept first took hold in the U.S., and why these once powerful organizations established to be the negotiators and watchdogs for the American work force have alienated much of the work force and taken on such a negative image. What once was good has become bad, and in some cases, downright ludicrous. (more...)