Ezliving_Jim

It could happen if Democrats get their way!
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Obama, Democrats Will Push EFCA First

By Rick Berman, OpEd Contributor
- 11/12/08

After one of the most dramatic, hardest fought campaigns in American history, Election Day has come and gone. Barack Obama is the next President of the United States, and so we no longer have to ask, "Who will it be?" As President-elect Obama celebrates his victory and his party's expanded majority in Congress, the new question is, "What will he do?"

There's certainly no shortage of problems to address. We are stuck in the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, our military is bogged down in two wars, and our position in the global economy is increasingly precarious.

But despite their lofty promises of bipartisanship and cooperation, Obama and his allies in Washington can't focus exclusively on the real issues we face. Instead, they continue to push for a divisive and partisan handout for the union bosses who bankrolled their campaigns, and thanks to their big wins on Election Day the disastrous Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) is frighteningly close to becoming a reality.

The Employee Free Choice Act, despite its name, would actually take choice away from employees and give corrupt and power-hungry union bosses control over thousands of American businesses. EFCA would change the process by which unions are formed, eliminating private ballot elections in favor of a deeply flawed system called "card check."

Under current law, workers are given the opportunity to vote with a secret ballot, and the election's fairness is ensured by an independent federal board. Under card check, if more than 50% of the employees in a work unit sign a card in favor of unionizing, the union is automatically recognized.

There's no election, and virtually no government oversight. Union organizers have a long and well-documented history of harassing, deceiving, and intimidating workers into signing these cards. Even the AFL-CIO has admitted in an organizer handbook that workers often sign cards to "get the union off my back."

Supporting the elimination of private ballots is a cynical move for any elected official. Despite the fact that 87% of Americans agree that every worker deserves a private ballot in a workplace election, union-backed politicians are willing to defy their constituents and take away that right. Money, like the $350 million that union bosses spent to elect hand-picked candidates this year, has a way of changing a politician's priorities.

Union leaders want to dispense with democracy because, for them, it just hasn't been working. For the past few decades, American workers have been using their votes to say "no" to labor organizers, driving union rolls to historic lows.

After the collapse of union-dominated industries in the '70s and '80s, it became clear to workers and employers that the increasingly corrupt and hidebound union establishment could no longer deliver on its promises.

Instead of working to enhance the rights of workers, modern unions have become self-serving entities focused only on increasing their membership, revenue, and political influence.

In 2007, EFCA's supporters fell short of the 60 votes they needed to bypass a filibuster and send the bill to the White House. As of this writing, Democrats have picked up six additional Senate seats, and three more contests have yet to be decided.

Even if Democrats don't get a 60-seat, filibuster-proof majority, they're still close enough to be dangerous. If just one or two Republicans in heavily unionized states are persuaded to "reach across the aisle," then it's game-over for workplace democracy.

The good news is that without an outright 60-seat majority, there is still room to fight. There is still time to educate the public and warn workers what forced unionization will mean for them.

Labor bosses have long relied on residual good will from an earlier era. If millions of Americans learn the truth about forced dues and unions' history of broken promises, they will not stand idly by as their rights are stripped by a piece of one-sided and undemocratic legislation.

Obama and the Democrats were elected by a nation hungry for change, and they should be careful not to squander their popularity on handouts and favors for union special interests.

Rick Berman is the executive director of the Center for Union Facts.

megatanman

I guess that means you would have to go back to working for a living to avoid having to pay someone....I almost feel sorry for you...HA!

First Obama bends you over and sticks it to you for making over 250k ,now he is going to force you to pay union wages.

Looks like you just can't win Jim ,I would say I can sympathize,but Im still laughing at the fact that you will be suffereing.LOL

NJtanner

You will be suffering too. Be careful what you wish for. I don't want union employees. Do you?