Posted on 02/14/2007 1:45:28 PM PST by RWR8189
President Bush will veto pending legislation aimed at boosting union strength, Vice President Cheney told National Association of Manufacturers members at a Wednesday breakfast meeting to kick off the group’s lobbying efforts.
The “Employee Free Choice Act,” currently making its way through the House, would change the process of union elections. Under the measure, if a majority of workers in a workplace sign cards authorizing a union, then the workers would get a union. Under current law, even when a majority of workers ask for union representation, their employers can force them to undergo an election process administered by the National Labor Relations Board. Supporters contend the proposal would strengthen unions against unfair management tactics. Opponents warn that the measure is an effort by unions to exert undue influence after years of waning support.
The manufacturers’ coalition seeks to kill the bill, among a list of four legislative priorities for the 110th Congress. The House Education and Labor Committee is scheduled to mark up the legislation Wednesday.
Cheney, who donned a pink tie for the Valentine’s Day address, also said economic growth would grow from private sector efforts, not the government.
“Nobody can sit in an office in Washington, D.C. and decide to create prosperity,” he said.
The vice president defended the Bush tax cuts as fueling the economy’s recovery over the past five years. During his 20-minute speech the crowd applauded Cheney’s vow that the Bush administration would continue to push for the end of the so-called “death tax.”
Pat Cleary, senior vice president for communications at NAM, told the crowd of about 200 manufacturers that their industry drives the broader economy, contributing 12 percent of the nation’s GDP and three-fifths of research and development.
“We’re not asking for a handout,” he said. “What we want is for government to get out of our way.”
In addition to blocking the union proposal, other NAM legislative priorities include energy policy overhaul, making permanent a research and development tax credit and free trade, Cleary said.
But he warned the crowd to be wary of promises extended by legislators.
“They’re going to tell you they’re friends of ours,” he said. “Some of them aren’t telling the truth.”
Tiffany Adams, head of corporate and public affairs for NAM, said about 600 members traveled to Washington for the three-day lobbying effort, the fifth time NAM has hosted the series since 1999.
Collective bargaining is only a "right" if a majority of the duly defined bargaining unit votes for it. In many cases workers vote against it, as for example in the auto industry where the UAW has unions at the Big Three plants, but not at Toyota or Honda.
In fact in Marysville OH the UAW called off the secret ballot to establish them at Honda despite the fact they had cards signed. The UAW knew that an election would result in a humiliating defeat for them.
As a manager in a partially unionized manufacturing company it is my firm belief that management gets the union they deserve.
"Also, there are many union contracts that provide for unequal pay."
Unequal pay for the same exact job classification?
The Teamsters under Jackie Presser supported the re-election of President Reagan.
There are contracts that pay on a piecework basis. There are all kinds of different pay schemes in union contracts -- including so-called two tier contracts. There are bonuses and penalties for various quality targets, safety targets, elimination or reduction of scrap, etc. These can be applied plantwide or in a given department or area.
I voted for him twice becaues the alternative was too ghastly to imagine. But. That does not mean Bush was an effective leader. He didn't lead me to vote for him. It was the converse - Gore and Kerry drove me to Bush.
I had high hopes for conservatism when he won the first time. He has dashed all those hopes with his infinite diffidence to what is going on at home.
Federal Govt. intrusion at all levels has tripled under Bush - with his blessing.
True, and managemnet can fire all of them if management wants to. I am not a union hater but I think elections not petitions is proper. So vetoing this is the right thing to do.
"card check" is basically a free pass for union goons to intimidate a workplace and secure union control without a secret ballot election.
you can see how it would be a Democratic fund raising bonanza as millions of added workers were forced to pay union dues which would turn into political contributions
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This is excellent news.
Easy big fella, he hasn't actually done it yet. I hope he will, but....
Is it going to be his first veto?
Signature cards can be forged. It's a bit more difficult to illegally influence the outcome of an NRLB election. Good for Bush.
Veto? Wouldn't it have to pass the Senate, ie., get 60 votes for cloture, first?
Its not uncommon for the Senate to invoke cloture on a bill and have it end up passing with 51 votes.
No, you simply aren't reading. I'm listing what he's **accomplished**.
First, you didn't read enough...so you claimed that I didn't list Medicaid Reform, border security, and No child Left Behind.
Then you didn't read enough again...so you claimed that I was only listing plusses.
In short, you are grasping for words that make you look "right" instead of searching for facts regardless of what they may mean.
You'd be better served to read more, read slower, and talk less.
Apparently I can't read either. Could you copy paste the aforementioned requests for missing tidbits wherein you've listed something other than plusses(sic)?
I went back and read through it again, just to be sure.
Here's a fact: Bush didn't do most of the things you listed. He just signed the bill. Giving Bush credit for something Congress has done, whether it was good or bad, is fallacious.
Before you make your next assertion about NCLB, Medicaid, etc (that you could say the same thing about my claim) you are right. Bush could have vetoed but he didn't. He even put his comments on CFR that he thougt it was not a good law but signed anyway.
Bush is not a leader.
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