// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the goon squad say to the pizza? "We knead respect.
In the United States, a goon squad was originally a group of criminals or mercenaries commonly associated with either pro-union violence or anti-union violence. The term "goon" has been used more generally to refer to hired thugs.
Etymology
[edit]The term "goon" was reputedly coined by F. L. Allen in 1921,[1] perhaps a variant of the US slang "gooney" which had been around since at least 1872, meaning a simpleton or fool,[2] which may have derived from "gony", applied by sailors to the albatross and similar big, clumsy birds (c.1839). In the late 1930s, E. C. Segar’s comic strip Popeye had a character named "Alice the Goon". It was from this character that large stupid people or stupid things came to popularly be called "goons" and the term entered into general use.[1][3] "Goon" evolved into slang for a thug (1938),[4] someone hired by racketeers to terrorize political or industrial opponents (1938),[5] or a German stalag guard for American POWs (1945).[4]
United States
[edit]During the labor unrest of the late 19th century in the United States, businessmen hired goon squads composed of Pinkerton agents to infiltrate unions, and as guards to keep strikers and suspected unionists out of factories. One of the best known such confrontations was the Homestead Strike of 1892, in which Pinkerton agents were called in to enforce the strikebreaking measures of Henry Clay Frick, acting on behalf of Andrew Carnegie, who was abroad; the ensuing conflicts between Pinkerton agents and striking workers led to several deaths on both sides. The Pinkertons were also used as guards in coal, iron, and lumber disputes in Illinois, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania, as well as the Great Railroad Strike of 1877.[6]
In 1958 the McClellan Committee discussed a goon squad as a group of mercenaries, commonly associated with labor relations issues,[7] although they may be employed in other situations as well.
In cases of pro-union violence, a goon squad may be formed by union members or leaders to intimidate or assault non-union workers, strikebreakers, or parties (sometimes including union members) who do not cooperate with the directives of union leadership.[8][9][10] In 1930s Seattle, with Dave Beck as Teamster leader, pro-union violence was reported where a goon squad intimidated or assaulted non-union workers and strikebreakers.[11]
In 2014, a goon squad of Pennsylvania ironworkers, who referred to themselves as "The Helpful Union Guys" (THUGS) pleaded guilty to engaging in pro-union intimidation tactics which included slashing tires, assaulting non-union workers and blockading worksites.[10] In 2009, a goon squad associated with a Teamsters leader in Boston used intimidation tactics with fellow union members over seniority rights; in one case a goon assaulted another Teamster who criticized a local Union leader.[8][9]
In cases of anti-union violence, goon squads have been traditionally hired by employers as an attempt at union busting, and resort to many of the same tactics, including intimidation, espionage, and assault.[12] In some cases, corporations have been formed specifically to provide the services of goon squads. The Corporations Auxiliary Company was a corporation created to conduct "the administration of industrial espionage",[13] providing goon squads and labor spies in exchange for payment. In 1921 the Corporations Auxiliary Company was known to masquerade under a dozen different names, and specialized in electing its agents to union office in order to control or destroy unions.[14]
In 2023, five deputies and a police officer in Mississippi were charged with and pleaded guilty to torturing two black men at a home. The six officers reportedly referred to themselves as the "Goon Squad".[15]
Kenya
[edit]As of 2026[update], in Kenya, "goons" are thugs hired by politicians to intimidate supporters of their opponents.[16] Women are also involved in organising the networks of goons, who are also hired by powerful business people, in a practice known as "goonism".[17] The goons are mainly illiterate, unemployed young men. They are managed by the wasangwenya ("representatives"), who receive orders from politicians and others, negotiate payment, and appoint leaders of the goons. The "kingpins" or "big fish" are at the top of the ladder, and meet with the politicians or other hirers.[18]
In the arts
[edit]The 2010 novel A Visit from the Goon Squad won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The novel refers to time as "the goon squad" and "a goon", emphasizing how time robs most of the characters of their youth, innocence, and success.[19]
See also
[edit]- Guardians of the Oglala Nation (GOONs) – Lakota paramilitary force
- Labor spying in the United States
- Union busting
- Union violence
References
[edit]- 1 2 John Ayton. The Oxford Dictionary of Slang (1998), pg. 309
- ↑ John Ayton. The Oxford Dictionary of Slang (1998), pg. 308
- ↑ Robert Hendrickson. Word and Phrase Origins, 4th ed., Facts on File, 2008, pg. 358.
- 1 2 John Ayton. The Oxford Dictionary of Slang (1998), pg. 114
- ↑ John Ayton. The Oxford Dictionary of Slang (1998), pg. 264
- ↑ Singer, Merrill (2007). Drugging the Poor: Legal and Illegal Drugs and Social Inequality. Waveland Press. pp. 47–48. ISBN 978-1478610243.
- ↑ "The McClellan Committee hearings, 1957". Bureau of National Affairs. 1958.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - 1 2 "Boston Goon Squad Update". Teamsters for a Democratic Union. June 18, 2009. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
- 1 2 Fitzgerald, Jay (June 15, 2009). "Teamster trouble brewing at billion-dollar showplace". Boston Herald. Archived from the original on June 16, 2009. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
- 1 2 Dale, MaryClaire (October 5, 2014). "Indictment: Pa. Ironworker Union "Goon Squad" Committed Arsons, Intimidation". NBC Philadelphia. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
- ↑ Menefee, Shelden C. (March 26, 1938). "The Decline of Dave Beck". The Nation. 146 (13): 354–355.
- ↑ "The Growth of Anti-Unionism". Proceedings of the Constitutional Convention of the AFL-CIO (16). AFL-CIO. 1985.
- ↑ Richard C. Cabot, Introduction, The Labor Spy--A Survey of Industrial Espionage, by Sidney Howard and Robert Dunn, Under the Auspices of the Cabot Fund for Industrial Research, published in the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen's Magazine, Volume 71, Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen, 1921, page 27
- ↑ Sidney Howard, The Labor Spy, A Survey of Industrial Espionage, Chapter 1, The New Republic, reprinted in Mixer and server, Volume 30, Hotel and Restaurant Employee's International Alliance and Bartenders' International League of America, April 15, 1921, page 43
- ↑ Andone, Dakin (August 14, 2023). "6 ex-officers, some of whom called themselves 'The Goon Squad,' plead guilty to state charges in torture of 2 Black men". CNN. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
- ↑ "Kenya's goons: a world of political violence and desperation". France 24. July 13, 2026. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
- ↑ Obiria, Moraa (July 25, 2026). "Women's hidden hand in Kenya's political goons networks". Daily Nation. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
- ↑ Odipo Dev; Tribeless Youth (April 28, 2026). "Goonland: Inside the Political Exploitation of Young Kenyan Men". The Elephant. Retrieved July 30, 2026.
- ↑ Jane, Ciabattari (June 29, 2010). "Jennifer Egan Interview, A Visit from the Goon Squad". The Daily Beast. Retrieved October 4, 2023.