Union bosses serve the total state, not American workers

The International Longshoremen's Association and its 45,000 members went on strike Tuesday, threatening to paralyze 36 U.S. ports along the eastern seaboard and Gulf Coast. The already fragile American logistical system gives the union significant leverage, but the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene has made the need to re-establish supply lines even more urgent.

Conservatives have traditionally opposed unions, but a recent shift in focus on working-class conditions during the Trump era has made many on the right more sympathetic to collective bargaining. However, as ILA President Harold Daggett declared “I will cripple you!” many conservatives found it difficult to reconcile their newfound support for labor with the brash statement from a leader seemingly indifferent to the struggles of suffering Americans.

Those on the right must learn a hard truth: Big union bosses don’t serve the working class; they serve the total state.

In 1911, sociologist Robert Michels published “Political Parties,” a study on power dynamics that closely examined the inner workings of German labor unions. The book became foundational in what is now called “elite theory” or political realism, due to Michels’ formulation of the iron law of oligarchy.

The iron law of oligarchy asserts that complex organizations, no matter how democratic or egalitarian they claim to be, will inevitably elevate a small group of organizers into a ruling class, transforming the organization into an oligarchy. The organized minority will always lead the disorganized majority. As Michels put it, “It is organization which gives dominion of the elected over the electors. ... Who says organization, says oligarchy.”

The Industrial Revolution radically transformed the relationship between individuals and their labor. Subsistence farmers and guild craftsmen, who once had a direct and personal connection to their work, suddenly found themselves thrust into the alienating environment of factory wage labor. Scale became a significant factor, yet society has largely overlooked its impact.

As production and consumption scaled up, so did labor negotiations. Workers could no longer have individual discussions with their bosses about wages because their bosses were simply cogs in a much larger machine. The boss was no longer an individual owner with meaningful decision-making power but a manager representing a faceless conglomeration of investors. Collective bargaining became the only way for workers to leverage their labor against the vastness of massive capital.

In his analysis, Michels discovered that, despite labor unions claiming to represent workers, union leaders often put their own interests above those of their membership. Union bosses may start as common workers, but their skills quickly elevate them beyond their peers. They transition from performing daily labor to full-time organizing and activism. Their days are spent speaking with politicians and negotiating with CEOs, which separates them from the very conditions they aim to improve.

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