Unions in the Crosshairs

New from the Institute of Southern Studies:

"We'll make the unions understand full well that they are not needed, not wanted, and not welcome in the State of South Carolina," Gov. Nikki Haley declared in her recent State of the State address. "I love that we are one of the least unionized states in the country. It is an economic development tool unlike any other."

While treating unions as pariahs, Haley celebrated corporations. During her speech she asked representatives of a dozen companies that have invested in the state to stand up and take a bow.

Haley's brazen expression of anti-union animus is a sign of the times. From statehouses and Congressional hearing rooms to corporate boardrooms and bankruptcy courts, organized labor is under attack. Union strength has been waning for many years as a result of structural changes in the economy and dysfunctional labor laws. Foes of unions are now acting aggressively to try to hasten that decline.