Plight of U.S. Unions

When unions mount an effective strike against a number of railroad companies, Congress stays up into the wee hours of the morning to pass legislation sought by President Bush to force workers back to their jobs (June 27).

Conversely, while employers such as Ravenswood Aluminum, Continental Airlines, Caterpillar Tractor and countless others threaten to and in some cases succeed in crushing their unions, destroying communities and shipping jobs to low-wage overseas markets, our government negotiates for “fast-track” trade agreements with Mexico, gives incentives to companies engaging in runaway shop tactics, and refuses to pass a simple law making it illegal for companies to “permanently replace” (that is, fire) employees who exercise their so-called “right” to strike.

Government officials who refuse to reform our labor laws and eliminate practices that make it extremely difficult for unions to organize the unorganized are fond of saying they do not wish to change the “level playing field,” which they say exists between labor and management. The truth, however, is that the only playing field these officials are interested in is one upon which workers are constantly, repeatedly, and legally leveled in the ground.

DAVID P. KOPPELMAN

Los Angeles