Every four years, pundits look forward to Labor Day as the launch of the “real” election season. This year, it’s especially appropriate, since organized labor is going all-out to influence not only the November outcome, but policy into the next…

Last summer, I had the pleasure of witnessing the first spark of a small diplomatic row. On a hot June day beneath a searing sun, California Democratic Congressman Tom Lantos, who passed away this week, joined President Bush and others,…

Union organizers never, ever intimidate workers whom they are trying to recruit. Believe me? Great! I’ve got a bridge to sell you. Sound crass? Well, Big Labor and their allies in Congress are trying to sell America just such a…

It’s a cliche of politics that the name of a proposed bill or initiative depends largely on its name. (More on this later.) It’s also a cliche now that free market advocates expecting Republicans to control the growth of government…

“Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon,” says the fifth rule of Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals, Saul Alinsky’s classic 1971 activist handbook. That’s because, “It is almost impossible to counterattack ridicule,” as Michael “tank moment” Dukakis…

Florida tourism officials rarely make headlines, but they once did with the slogan, “Florida. The Rules are Different Here.” Talk about truth in advertising — especially for the state’s southern tip. I grew up in Miami, so I read with…

Think booking a hotel room during summer is tough? It might get tougher if the UNITE-HERE labor union keeps up pressure on several major hotel chains this summer to gain new members. It is using a tried-and-true tactic: a corporate…

Is there a point at which societal change moves so fast that some people not only do not see it, but emphatically deny that it’s happening? That’s the question I was left pondering after the event last week, “An Army…

If, needing to move quickly in an emergency, one of your hands is tied behind your back, you should untie it. But once the emergency has passed, you might ask: “Why did I tie it in the first place?” That’s…

WASHINGTON — The AFL-CIO’s loss of two large unions this week hit Democrats and the labor federation hard. But this move by the Teamsters and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) may not hurt Democrats as much as they fear….