H/T to our friends at HotAir for this story.

According to AP, “leaders” of several unions have signed on to a letter threatening work stoppages in support of Black Lives Matter.

In a statement first shared with The Associated Press, labor leaders who represent teachers, autoworkers, truck drivers and clerical staff, among others, signaled a willingness Friday to escalate protest tactics to force local and federal lawmakers to take action on policing reform and systemic racism. They said the walkouts, if they were to move forward with them, would last for as long as needed.

At the outset, the idea that union workers in industries such as auto manufacturing (growing fewer in number every year) and truck drivers would strike — and give up their paychecks — in the harsh economic reality of a post-COVID rebuilding economy is laughable.

Second, teachers have demonstrated to a significant degree their near non-essentialness as a result of the massive wave of quasi-home schooling that state governors have driven by closing schools and forcing parents to be the primary instructors of their children with on-line learning.  In my home, my children spend less than 90 minutes each day with their teachers on-line, and the bulk of their school day is spent with parents working on the assignments.  Not all parents are able to deal with this difficulty, but state and local governments, and school officials, are forcing people to adapt to minimal involvement with a “live” teacher over an internet connection.  It is a very small step from that arrangement to a new paradigm where all instruction comes via video connection using a variety of recorded materials. When my high schooler is stumped by a math problem, my first response is, “Did you check YouTube yet?”

It was signed by several branches of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the Service Employees International Union, and affiliates of the National Education Association.

AFSCME, SEIU, and NEA — without question the three most radical left-wing labor unions in the country, whose membership probably votes 80% or more for Democrat candidates already.

Any kind of “work stoppages” by these notoriously left-wing groups in the current environment will have a predictable opposite effect of what they are intending no different than has been the case for the past 30 years as private-sector union membership across all sectors of the economy has declined.

The broader labor movement has been vocal since the May 25 killing of George Floyd, a handcuffed Black man who died after a white police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for nearly eight minutes during an arrest over counterfeit money.

Says who?  Apparently just the AP reporter, since there is no factual support for this naked claim offered in the article.

And that brings up a good point — who is the author of the story?  About Aaron Morrison from his own website:

Aaron’s work typically focuses on race, civil rights, criminal justice reform and grassroots social movements. He has embedded himself with activists to document developments in the Movement for Black Lives.

Ok — he’s an advocate.  Good to know.

…[T]he union leaders say they are following the lead of professional athletes who last week staged walkouts over the shooting. Basketball, baseball and tennis league games had to be postponed. Some athletes resumed game play only after having talks with league officials over ways to support the push for policing reforms and to honor victims of police and vigilante violence.

“Postponed” being the keyword.  Hey Aaron — all the postponed games were played.  The Lakers and Clipper players “uncanceled” their season when they were told that canceling the remainder of their season would “cancel” the owners’ obligation to pay them their contracts.

So those “professional athletes” — professional meaning they get paid for what they do — didn’t miss any paychecks in connection with their brave stance in support of social justice.

Public and private employers are faced with a “Which side are you on?” moment due to growing support for the BLM movement, said Maurice Mitchell, national director of the Working Families Party and a leading organizer in the Movement for Black Lives, a national coalition of 150 Black-led organizations.

“If I was a decision-maker that was considering whether or not to meet the demands of the unions, I would be scared,” Mitchell said. “This movement is spreading. We’ve been on the streets consistently, we’re building on the electoral front, and now we’re seeing this conversation at the highest levels of labor.”

I suspect union workers are going to be conflicted in their views when their union leadership says “STRIKE.”

“Not for higher wages or better benefits like usual.  We’re striking for police reform and racial justice.”

He should write for SNL — this has all the makings of a good skit.