His effort to push back what the state at that time was doing was supported by Reagan and Pope Paul II. He is conservative, not like most unionists in the rest of Europe. Here is a story that shows the Reagan influence there:
Polish officials unveil statue of Ronald Reagan with Pope John Paul II
Polish officials unveiled a statue of former President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II on Saturday, honoring two men widely credited in this Eastern European country with helping to topple communism 23 years ago.
A miniature stands in front of the new statue of former President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II that was unveiled in Gdansk, Poland, on Saturday, July 14, 2012. The statue honors the two men whom many Poles credit with helping to topple communism. The statue was unveiled in Gdansk, the birthplace of Lech Walesa's Solidarity movement, in the presence of about 120 former Solidarity activists, many of whom were imprisoned in the 1980s for their roles in organizing or taking part in strikes against the communist regime.
The bronze statue, erected in the lush seaside President Ronald Reagan Park, is a slightly larger-than-life rendering of the two late leaders. It was inspired by an Associated Press photograph taken in 1987 on John Paul's second pontifical visit to the U.S.
http://www.zimbio.com/Lech+Walesa/articles/6gNIJ_AqDYO/Polish+officials+unveil+statue+Ronald+Reagan
I agree with your sentiment of the "I Got Mine" syndrome, as I know some who are in unions and owe everything to unions. Their retirement, health benefits, working conditions have all been protected by unions, but they feel they are different than others. Most have been in the military or come from wealthy families and feel they have just worked harder than others.
They also believe because of their childhood religious training, that the End of the World© is upon us. Part of that is believing things are going to get very, very bad, so you must hold onto everything you have. You don't want to pay taxes as you might need that money. You have faith in the next life, not this one or anything that will make this life better. Some religions teach, 'Do not love the world, or anything in it.' There is a spiritual meaning to that, but some take it as standing aloof.
I expect that Lech and a number of people in Poland, who also helped out Bush in the War on Terra, see themselves as quite different than what we might assume a union organizer is. That was the most media ballyhooed 'union' event in history as I remember it. The coverage was as emotional and called into play all the iconic visions as the Israeli Six-Day War.
Reaganites still cite that as how he 'destroyed Communism.'
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