I remember talking with a friend of mine back in the '80's about this. He worked for Chrysler for 30+ years. He kept up his union dues, until he retired, even though he worked for management for the last 15 years he was there. Told me plenty of stories about workers getting caught stealing, loafing off, all the paid holidays and such. Unions always stood up for their workers, even though they were guilty as sin.We agreed even back then, about good paying jobs leaving this country. In the beer business with my parents, seen Teamsters hauling beer in from the brewery's, and cross the Glassworkers picket line, outside the beer distributers, because they were on strike. So much for Union brotherhood!! Kinda look at the Longshoreman like this. Lets go make our $30 or $40 and hour, unloading these boats from the Pacific rim, while tens of thousands go unemployed because of this. Kinda like the gun law analogy, as long as the gov't doesn't outlaw the gun's I like to shoot, why should I care. Well, someday those Longshoreman will be replaced with computerized machine's, and they'll be out of a job to. And when they look for help from their ''Union Brother's'', there will not be any. They all be working Walmart, making minimun wage,part time. As far retirements and pensions go, if they couldn't see what was coming, and draw out what was coming to them, well, I guess they should consider this a vauluble lesson. Maybe next time, they'll think for themselves. gypsyman