Union Monopolies Can Hurt Economy

Whereas business monopolies are dangerous to the economy of the country, so are union monopolies [“Dispute Shows a Union Firmly Anchored at West Coast Ports,” Oct. 13].

The dockworkers plainly have a monopoly on the West Coast that can be devastating to the U.S. economy.

Unions have a right to apply economic pressure on their employers but not on individuals and businesses that have no voice in their demands.

Legislation should be passed that places unions on an equal footing with anti-trust laws on business.

Gary A. Robb

Los Feliz

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It seems clear that the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and its coddled members are just a modern permutation of the Luddites.

The dockworkers of today are attempting to forestall the inevitable change and modernization that must come to America’s docks if the country is to remain competitive in the international marketplace.

However, unlike their 19th century brethren, today’s dockworkers don’t have to smash machinery and burn down buildings, and their impact on the nation is far greater than anything the Luddites ever dreamed of.

All today’s American dockworkers have to do is willfully gum up the works in that finely choreographed metallic ballet that takes place on America’s docks to bring the whole nation down on its collective economic knees.

Richard Seeley

Glendale