It is no secret these are difficult days for most businesses. But they are more difficult for some than others. Consider Bashas’ chain of food stores in Arizona. In addition to the expected pressure on profits exerted by rising prices and declining purchasing power of their customer base, Bashas’ has been attacked by the United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) union.

Yes, attacked is the right word. The union is determined it wants to organize representation of Bashas’, even though the employees have made it clear they don’t want to be represented by the union.

So the UFCW started a campaign that included threats and dirty tricks. That’s entirely believable. Our experience with labor unions has been rife with strong-arm tactics and intimidation. That’s the only way they can get accepted by the employer and the employees.

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Bashas’, though still a family-operated chain, is big. It employs 14,000 people in Arizona. It is a plum the union wants to pick. An irresistible prize of 14,000 new dues-payers.

Unions are under pressure these days, too. Fewer workers want to be in a union. There are many reasons for this, but it is a fact.

Arizona is a Right to Work state. The state constitution guarantees the right to work without having to join a union. It is illegal to link a job to union membership. If the union were to succeed in getting 13,999 employees to join and if one bag boy wanted to work his job without the union, the law requires he be permitted to do so.

One of the reasons the drafters of our state constitution believed that guarantee is important is to avoid just the confrontations now going on between Bashas’ and the union.

Bashas’ claims that union people filed complaints of all kinds with various government agencies, even going so far as to report that its stores were selling out-of-date baby food, then placing jars of out-of-date food on the shelves so inspectors would be certain to find it.

Phony claims of dirty conditions were made. And union people again ensured there would be violations to find. This kind of labor disruption is damaging to both the merchant and the worker as well as the economy in general.

Anyone who wants to join a union can, but the union may not use force or intimidation to achieve it. We have all heard stories about the thugery that goes on in states not protected by Right to Work laws. Our framers wanted to exclude that kind of thing from Arizona.

What kind of thing? Imagine you are in charge of Bashas’ and union “representatives” call a meeting. In that meeting you are given an ultimatum: force all your employees to join the union and accept union representation and work rules or the union will destroy your entire business. This and much more is happening to Bashas’.

The union tried to put a wedge between Bashas’ and its Hispanic customers by making unfounded charges of discrimination. Bashas’ filed a lawsuit against the union which is now proceeding through the courts. But the union has never abandoned its desire to destroy Bashas’.

Bashas’ has filed a 374-paragraph complaint against the union alleging 10 different flavors of serious misconduct and seeking compensatory and punitive damages as well as injunctions against dirty tricks. The union has answered, essentially denying everything.

With the smell of racketeering emanating from this and most union headquarters, it is no wonder that union membership is dwindling. Bashas’ employees are happy with the treatment they receive from their company and do not want to be involved in the contentiousness generated by this contest.

If the UFCW cannot conform to the expressed wished of Arizonans, it should pack up its kit bag and head for the places where they have a better chance of being welcomed. Go to New York. Go to Chicago. Go to Detroit. You’re not wanted here.