It Was a Good Week for Union News (That Is, Unless You Are a Member…)

Ah, unions…

There is a purpose, to some extent, in collective bargaining when industries have a massive workforce and needs are not adequately met. But the lure of forming a guild in careers where the net impact is a negative is a common reality, and one in which many a worker fails to apply proper foresight. I would dare say there have been more failed bids at unionizing than successful ones, and sometimes that result is more than failing to unionize.

This week, there was a dose of comedy from the media realm when it was announced that the staff at ProPublica was going on strike. Just on the surface, we have an issue, as this is a purely non-profit news outlet, operating on donations and charitable grants. It is hard to enoble oneself by working at a news source that is not a capitalist entity, but then try to take the position that your sainted outlet is operating like a nefarious corporation, and needs to pay the minions a proper wage with benefits.

But the stunted thinking was not relegated to that daft decision. The method by which this union wanted to apply pressure is the very definition of a self-defeating ploy. The workers on Thursday went on a one-day strike; that is about as tepid a threat as a union can make. You do not possess much leverage when you tip off to everyone that there is a brief timeframe for your work stoppage. But then they became more farcical.

As they were striking, the guild encouraged readers to forego visiting the site on April 8, as a sign of solidarity. So these writers wanted to show the value of their journalism... by encouraging people to avoid their journalism. More than that idiocy, in turning away readers, they also prevented them from seeing the publication's calls for donations. As they were demanding more money, at the same time, they wanted to choke the revenue stream. Not the most brilliant of strategies.

We’re on strike today! Support our fight for a fair contract by NOT visiting the @propublica website or engaging with ProPublica stories today.

Tell ProPublica’s management you won’t cross the picket line: https://t.co/tN24poWh62 pic.twitter.com/l7DJoX6ceP
— ProPublica Guild (@propublicaguild) April 8, 2026

I would call attention to what took place at The Washington Post about a year-and-a-half ago. Recall, in the days ahead of the general election, the staffers were outraged (not hyperbole) that owner Jeff Bezos came out to announce the paper would not be endorsing a presidential candidate. The staff hectored and yelled at the management to such an extent that readers were cancelling subscriptions at an alarming rate. One reporter even announced how her own mother had cancelled her subscription, to the disdain of her daughter.

The result was far from beneficial. Recently, WaPost laid off nearly a third of its entire staff. It might serve the ProPublica pundits well to look over that outlet’s results; since they lashed out at their own paper, the “Democracy Dies In Darkness” crew is struggling to keep the lights on.

Angry Leftists Have No One to Blame for The Washington Post's Firings but Themselves

But there was even more insipid union news afoot. In 2024, the Apple Store in Towson Town Center, in Baltimore County, Maryland, became the first in the nation to unionize its sales staff. This meant that about a dozen employees saw their jobs preserved, as they joined the…make sense of this… International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers' Coalition of Organized Retail Employees.

The company announced on Apr. 9 the store will be shuttered. Now, with this closure, 90 staffers are being put out of work. Apple has said it's closing due to declining conditions at the mall, but the union is convinced this was a labor-busting effort, writing in a statement:

"Apple's claim that the collective bargaining agreement prevents relocation is simply false and raises serious concerns that this closure is a cynical attempt to bust the union. We are exploring all legal options and will work with elected officials and allies to hold Apple accountable. We stand with our IAM Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (IAM CORE) members and the community that depends on this store for essential access and support."

You’ll be standing with them, as they are seated on their sofas, filling out job applications online. That retail workers felt that unionizing would be a wise move, when boosting sales would be a more solid effort at job preservation, is a sign of ho unneeded some of these organizing efforts become.

In just about any business, the payroll is the highest cost for a company. Adding to that without delivering a commensurate rise in revenue means that at some point you become too much of a drain on the company. Far too often, they have dollar signs clouding their vision and do not grasp the possibility that they can go on to achieve a $0.00 an hour career.

•Editor's Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.

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