There has long been friction over labor issues, with some favoring a greater role for labor unions and others believing that unions can often be counterproductive.
Over the past few decades, of course, unionization of the American workforce has plummeted. Today, only about 12 percent of America's workers are unionized. And most unionized workers in the United States are government employees -- who should not be unionized in the first place.
But wherever you may stand on labor unions, what everyone should agree on is that labor disputes are no excuse for violence.
So it was appalling when members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union in Washington state blocked a train, stormed a grain terminal, overpowered security workers, damaged rail cars and dumped grain -- all in connection with a labor dispute.
A federal judge has held the union in contempt for that outrageous behavior and declared that "What's going on out there is awful," The Associated Press reported.
The judge has also slapped the union with a quarter-million-dollar fine.
The union workers from Washington are upset that workers from a different union, based in Oregon, are staffing a new grain terminal. The Washington workers believe they are entitled to those jobs.
But even if they -- rather than the Oregon workers -- deserve the jobs, that disagreement is no reason to engage in violence.
In a separate incident, the owner of a non-union electrical contracting company in Michigan was shot recently -- apparently by a pro-union activist.
There's just no place for that!
The United States has marvelous constitutional protections for freedom of speech, allowing those who feel aggrieved to express their views firmly but peacefully. Those peaceful methods should not be abandoned in favor of Big Labor thuggery.