As previously reported on the Freedom@Work blog, union militants are certainly making headlines of late using violent tactics and vandalism to prove their point.

Stunningly, union thugs in Michigan may have taken this to the next level last week when John King, owner of King Electrical Services, was reportedly shot by a union goon spraying the word "scab" on the side of his car in the driveway.

Of course this should surprise no one familiar with the violent legacy of Big Labor, including that of AFL-CIO union boss Richard Trumka. But for good measure, the Investor's Business Daily (IBD) opined today about union bosses' reliance on violence to get their way:

The attack on King is emblematic of the sad fact that the leading perpetrators of political violence today are U.S. labor unions.

They've grown more violent in their rhetoric as their political power grows and their appeal to workers diminishes.

According to the National Institute for Labor Relations Research, a right-to-work think tank in Washington, there have been 4,400 incidents of union violence in the last 20 years.

The Teamsters are the leading perpetrators, with 454 incidents. But IBEW, which some suspect in the King incident, is in the top 10, having engaged in 125 incidents.

All told, there have been 11,600 incidents of union violence against workers, management and the public since 1975.

In 1973, the United States Supreme Court actually ruled to grant union officials the special privilege to be exempt from federal prosecution for union violence. And shocking these numbers may seem, the National Institute for Labor Relations Research states that for reported incidences of union violence between 1975 and 2000, only three percent of those incidents have led to an arrest and conviction.

The numbers used by IBD also don't account for the fact that most incidents of union violence go unreported (a study of one strike found seven instances of violence for every on reported on in the media) meaning that the already staggering numbers the article cites are just the tip of the iceberg.

In case you missed it yesterday, the National Right to Work Foundation is asking for an investigation into reports from employees that local police may have turned a blind eye to union harassment of non-striking workers at Volvo in Pulaski County, Virginia.

Meanwhile, employees continue to contact us with stories of what's been going on during the strike. Some employees report that in addtion to what has already been reported, they believe that union operatives have stalked them, collected their license plate numbers, and slashed their tires.

Again, employees seeking free legal aid can contact the Foundation toll-free at (800) 336-3600.

(Photo by Larry Middleton)

More reports of alleged union inimidation of employees during a strike at Volvo near Roanoke, Virginia, are pouring out today, including a news story by WDBJ-TV. The video report also shows a makeshift coffin put up outside the union hall with an arrow pointing into it and reading "All Scabs Welcome Here."

The report also quotes several employees:

"I expected them to call me a scab. I expected that," says Volvo worker Dreama Dominguez. "What I didn't expect was some of the men that I sorta admired, thought they were descent people, to grope themselves as I drove by."

The employees go on to detail reports we cited yesterday about a broken car window, nails in their driveways, and sugar in a gas tank.

"It scared me but the more I thought about it, it made me angry and if I had to walk over those nails to get into work I would have done it," says Dominguez.

All these brave employees did was show up to work. Sadly, while this situation has gained some attention, the National Institute for Labor Relations Research says that the vast majority of instances of union violence (including both physical and property damage) go unprosecuted.

Think that union intimidation is a thing of the past? You might think again.

WSLS-TV out of Roanoke, Virginia, shows in a video report that nonunion Volvo employees in the Roanoke, Virginia, area claim they're being singled out for continuing to work during a United Auto Workers union-ordered strike.

Multiple reports of nails in employees' driveways, sugar in the gas tank of a car, "scab live here" signs in their yards, and a broken window of one of a worker's car have surfaced. One worker also reported being followed home after work.

While the local UAW union head says "I don't know if it did happen or didn't happen..." it's a disgrace if employees are being singled out simply for going to work.

Any employee wanting to know their rights should immediately contact the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation toll-free at 1-800-336-3600 or email legal@nrtw.org.