But because the ALP was widely believed to be "active adjunct of the Communist Party," it was forced to hitch its name to establishment candidates of other parties, helping elect conservatives who were mistrusted by the workers and liberals who had weaker bases of support. This system eventually led to the ALP electing several Congressmen of its own before the "red scare" of the 1950s dipped its support again.

2. Reagan

Ronald Reagan: champion of federal labor or evil strike breaker? It is widely agreed that the then-President's act of ending the illegal strike by 13,000 air traffic controllers ended the power of the federal union worker, as there have been no major work stoppages in government since then, but perhaps he wasn't the enemy of unions everyone thinks he was.

During the Wisconsin collective bargaining fight of 2011, liberal bloggers promoted a video in which Reagan, the darling of the right, said that unions were crucial for American freedom. In his 1980 Labor Day speech, Reagan said: "Where free unions and collective bargaining are forbidden, freedom is lost." He was speaking about Communist countries... but did he mean America, too?

1. Labor Day

Is Labor Day a conspiracy to promote unions? The Wikipedia entry on this national holiday states that the original plan for the first Monday in September was as follows: "A street parade to exhibit to the public 'the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations,' followed by a festival for the workers and their families." Later, these elements were downplayed, and the greater good of the "economy: was emphasized instead of the greater power of the working class.