Somebody dig up Jimmy Hoffa...

...and tell him his spirit lives on:

In a move that might make some people scratch their heads, a loosely formed coalition of left-leaning bloggers is trying to band together to form a labor union it hopes will help members receive health insurance, conduct collective bargaining or even set professional standards.

The effort is an extension of the blogosphere's growing power and presence, especially within the political realm, and for many, evokes memories of the early labor organization of freelance writers in the 1980s.

Organizers hope a bloggers' labor group will showcase not only the growing professionalism of the Web-based writers but also the importance of their roles in candidates' campaigns.

"I think people have just gotten to the point where people outside the blogosphere understand the value of what it is that we do on the progressive side," said Susie Madrak, author of the Suburban Guerrilla blog, who is active in the union campaign. "And I think they feel a little more entitled to ask for something now."

What a bunch of nincompoops!?

It does get me wondering, though - how would they strike? Stop blogging? Get real jobs? May not be such a bad idea after all.