Pork, Perks, and Predation

Abstract

This chapter examines two business unions, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) and the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA). Business unions differ from each other as well as from activist unions. Some, like the Teamsters, are legitimate unions whose leaders, while far less constrained and far better compensated than those in the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), are nonetheless subject to regulation and re-election. Others, such as the ILA, are little more than a protection racket, whose leaders prey upon members and collaborate with employers and the mob. Unlike the leadership of activist unions, business union leaders believe that expanding the scope of the union's activities is costly, with few, if any, downstream benefits. If leaders provide sufficient selective incentives in services, patronage, or coercion, then the members are likely to comply.