> Don’t mess with the Stationary Engineers Union. <
You’ve got that right. I once worked security for a university. One day the stationary engineers went out on strike. But before they walked out, they sabotaged most of the heavy equipment in the buildings. No air conditioning, no hot water, dead electrical outlets, etc.
The strike was settled quickly.
As the techniques of modern life get more and more complex and bigger and bigger the more you see these critical points of operations develop and the easier it is for a unified union to extort high wages.
One of the major supports of the Chicago Machine is its alliance with the unions. It pays them off with higher wages and pensions. They electioneer for it. Providing muscle to enforce Machine demands is another service. A Protection Racket.