Do you know that opening scene of Pulp Fiction where the couple that call each other Honey Bunny are in a restaurant and jump up with guns in hand and hold up the place.

That’s what jumped into my head last night, when I heard the raucous sounds coming from our upstairs bathroom. My nine year old and six year old were going at it when they should have been brushing their teeth. They were throwing things at each other and fighting.

At dinner the little tikes were so sweet and then moments later — “Any of you fucking pricks move and I’m execute every mother fucking last one of ya.”

OK, they don’t curse, at least not where we can hear them, but it got me thinking about how difficult it is to get along with people, even the people you love.

Our daughter Circe claimed her brother Cheiron was growing things at her toothbrush so she threw a wooden turtle at him and hit him in the head. My husband and I knew she was lying, so he used a bit of psychology on both the kids and punished Cheiron even though we both suspected he did not incite the riot. (I thought this was a very bad idea.)

When you witness kids doing this you can almost understand what’s going on in Gaza right now, or the many other wars raging around this globe, or right in our own backyard.

One backyard war that has been raging for too long is the one among the nation’s biggest unions.

At a time when workers are increasingly getting the shaft, a bunch of hard-heading union dogs just couldn’t see beyond their own egos to join forces and do what’s right for employees everywhere — GET ALONG!

The AFL-CIO used to be the umbrella group for all the countries largest union groups, but infighting caused a major break and the Service Employees International Union, the Teamsters and a host of other smaller factions splintered off and created their own little sandbox called Change to Win.

I say sandbox because all these so-called labor advocates have been acting like a bunch of kids for too long.

There was a glimmer of hope yesterday.

A story written by a great labor writer Steven Greenhouse in the New York Times today reports that the big babies seem to be talking to each other again and talking about reunification.

The presidents of 12 of the nation’s largest labor unions called Wednesday for reuniting the American labor movement, which split apart three and a half years ago when seven unions left the A.F.L.-C.I.O. and formed a rival federation.

The union presidents issued their joint call after the transition team for President-elect Barack Obama signaled that it would prefer dealing with a united movement, rather than a fractured one that often had two competing voices.

David E. Bonior, a member of Mr. Obama’s economic transition team who withdrew from consideration as labor secretary, helped arrange and oversee a meeting of the union presidents on Wednesday in Washington.

It sounds promising, but I won’t hold my breath. Given the scene in my bathroom last night I’m losing a bit a faith in humankind’s kindness.

Indeed, Greenhouse’s story isn’t all feathers and doves.

The leaders are hoping, by April 15, to approve a plan to reunify, one union official said. But some officials said they might fail to reach agreement.

Of course some officials are being negative. They know it’s hard to put an angry past behind you.

But these bozos are going to have to see beyond themselves in the mirror. The mood against the labor movement in this country is ugly. Even workers who believe in worker rights and think employees are getting screwed think unions are out to screw them too. This type of infighting only gives their fears credence.

How can they possibly get anything substantial done fore the working stiff with this attitude out there?

Yesterday the SEIU held a teleconference to announce their plans to push for worker rights and better healthcare coverage across the nation.

SEIU’s “Change That Works” Campaign will build on the successful work that helped elect an unprecedented number of pro-working family candidates in November. This campaign will unite the strength of more than a thousand union members and staff to bring economic relief to millions across the country, help fix the nation’s broken healthcare system and guarantee workers can freely decide whether to join with their coworkers in a union. As part of the campaign:

* Outreach efforts and other activities are planned in 35 states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
*SEIU members have committed to more than 1,000 members and staff working full-time in the field and dedicated 30% of the union’s resources to the campaign. Already approximately $10 million has been set aside to build and mobilize public support in key states.
*SEIU has hired or assigned full-time state campaign directors for each of the 35 states.
*SEIU has created a “war-room” at its headquarters in Washington, DC to facilitate the Change That Works program.
*SEIU members will appeal directly to priority Members of Congress and the new Administration through phone calls, letters, and other actions. This holiday season alone, hundreds of members and activists recruited through SEIU hosted house meetings on health care—other forums and activities are planned this month.
*In coalition with other organizations, SEIU will participate in multi-million dollar paid advertising campaigns this month and throughout 2009.
*Nearly 100 senior staff members are currently participating in a multi-disciplinary training session in Cambridge, Massachusetts and will hit the ground running throughout the country next week.

It’s a great idea, but there is strength in numbers people, and you need every body you can get to fight the good fight. And that means help from, dare I say it, the AFL-CIO.

Come on guys!!

I don’t want to be a negative sack and disregard any hope that a peace pipe won’t be smoked by labor’s top honchos.

After we punished my son Cheiron and he headed to his room, Circe came down stairs with tears in her eyes to tell us that he did nothing wrong. “It was all my fault,” she said as her eyes welled up. I had to choke back the tears myself watching her admit to being wrong.

Wow! This should be a lesson to all you seemingly smart labor advocates. I know your heart is usually in the right place. Find that place now. The clock is ticking for American workers.