I agree with you Greg, and it is organizations like the Players Unions that give unions such a bad name.

Yes, the Players Union (which I like to refer to as PU for short)is only PART of the problem, but I have to contend that it is the major part of the issue. ALL other major sports have been able introduce testing and stiffer penalties than the pathetic attempt that MLB and the PU have come up with. Fans could care less if the players are tested or not. Major League Baseball has tried repeatedly to introduce testing and stiffer penalties. It is actually in the best interest of the owners to protect themselves from lawsuits and having to pay salaries to players who aren't cutting it due to drug issues. The Players Union continues to fight it. Penalties and fines are contractually agreed upon. The steroid testing with the slap on the wrist is the best they could come up with.

Maybe the Players Union is an example of what a strong union can be, but I think the message that it sends is one of an out of control organization. The idea of what a union should be and can do gets clouded in peoples mind, and I believe it contributes to the declining membership in unions today. My grandfathers were coal miners and I grew up knowing how important a union can be. The youth of today see unions like the Players Union in the news and opinions get formed.