April 23, 2008 12:44 PM

Hooray for The Transit Workers Union in South Africa

I am adding the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union to my list of groups taking stands that are heroic and unimaginable in the United States. Last week, this union blocked the unloading of a Chinese ship bringing arms to the government of Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is being run by the corrupt and authoritarian President Mugabe, and we can be confident that the Chinese arms would be put to oppressive use. The Transport Union had to act in the face of great criticism from President Zuma of South Africa, whose criticism of the current election debacle could be charitably described as gentle.

I have to admit that my mind leaps to what a more militant U.S. labor movement might achieve if it was willing and able to block arms shipments, new coal plants, anti-union retailers, and the like.