Betrayal: How Union Bosses Shake Down Their Members and Corrupt American Politics (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Daniel Gray (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

America's labor unions pour money into the Democratic Party in pursuit of a "socialist," big government political agenda and have abandoned their mission of collective bargaining, contend Fox pundit Chavez (An Unlikely Conservative) and Gray, a consultant for Stop Union Political Abuse. What makes this worse than corporate bosses funding Republicans, they note, is that labor's pelf comes from the "forced dues" of workers who don't individually consent to union political donations. Chavez, a former union official and Bush labor secretary nominee, and Gray, a former National Right to Work Committee official, make some charges stick. They show that unions do give a lot of money to, and wield a lot of clout with, Democrats, with the usual problems of corruption and favoritism that big money special-interest politics entails. But by the authors' own accounting, unions spend less than 5% of their money on politics—a percentage that, they concede, workers can get refunded from their dues, albeit with some difficulty. And when Chavez and Gray show unions sticking to winning better pay, better benefits and lighter workloads for their members, they damn them for bankrupting companies and driving jobs abroad. At that point, the book's critique of unions' excesses shades into a one-sided attack on their very existence.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Chavez, conservative political analyst and former union professional, and coauthor Gray describe what they consider the betrayal of American workers by union leaders. Rather than representing the needs of their members, union leaders are focused on politics and self-serving government policy. This is a strongly worded tome with such chapter titles as "Putting the Public at Risk," "An Affair to Remember: Bill Clinton and the Unions," "Teachers' Unions: Deep-Pocketed Protectors of Mediocrity," and "Money, Mansions, and Mobsters: Union Corruption." The authors' reform proposals include stopping labor from spending members' dues on politics without their permission, giving workers flexibility and options outside of unions, and opening up union books. They tell us, "Union bosses have been successful to date largely because most Americans are oblivious to the corruption, influence-peddling, and power-brokering that goes on in labor unions today." While academics and think tanks will be the audience to ponder the authors' claims the most, it is certain that their views will resonate with a defined segment of the voting public this election year. Mary Whaley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Crown Forum; First Edition edition (June 8, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400052599
• ISBN-13: 978-1400052592
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #455,995 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very informative book, June 24, 2004

By A Customer

This book is a well-written account of the considerable influence unions have on the US political system. Unfortunatly for American workers - this influence is spent lining the pockets of union bosses.

Linda Chavez once again comes through with an important book that will shake up the status quo.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Union's Dirty Secrets Exposed for All to See, June 24, 2004

By A Customer

This book is an excellent resource for cold hard facts about the cozzy relationship between organized labor's leaders and the Democratic party. If you ever thought that a union's national leadership was on your side you may very well rethink that after reading this book and learning what they are really up to. The stories exposed coupled with hard facts and excellent statistics make this book a "must read."

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for union members, June 26, 2004

By A Customer

If union members want more money in their pockets, this book makes it clear that the first place they should look is to the 80% of their dues that are not being spent for their benefit. And moderate Democrat politicians have a chance to reform their party before it implodes. The points are crystal clear. A fact-based, easy and compelling read.