I am a member of a large (1.4 million-member) national union, the American Federation of Teachers, that offers high-interest credit cards, average-price auto insurance, long-term care insurance, and low-priced periodical subscriptions. It also spends a portion of my dues to support Democratic congressional and local candidates with the excuse that we need “pro-labor” legislators. ir fear of the insurgent right, labor’s leadership is prepared to accept paltry political returns in exchange for the guaranteed protection of federal and some state governments. Having given up hope and ambition for significant gains, they have settled for a status quo that increasingly deteriorates but falls short of absolute catastrophe.