Unions and the Black Power Brokers

Many young black activists, hearing from both the Left and the Right that unions are their main enemy, and believing what they hear, have joined the chorus of labor’s critics. Some choose to spin their wheels in generally vain efforts to stimulate black business and economic activity, sometimes in already bankrupt or marginal ghetto business. They might instead be creating centers of black power and influence inside already organized unions, or through the organization of black and brown workers at the margins of the economy.

Some black militants have come into the unions, but as sworn enemies, bent on destruction. In recent months, for example, some ran for local union office in the UAW on campaign pledges to drive out the ...