Posted on 11/23/2008 9:45:38 AM PST by Fred
President-elect Barack Obama, who co-sponsored the misleadingly titled Employee Free Choice Act in the Senate in 2007, has vowed that the measure, called “Card Check,” will be the law of the land once he’s in office.
Given the Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate, if Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss loses Georgia’s runoff election on Dec. 2, Card Check probably will become law—and that would be terrible news for Americans who want to keep their jobs.
Card Check would do away with the present secret ballot process used by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) when employees vote on whether to unionize their companies. It would also allow union negotiators to skip bargaining for a first contract. Instead, if employers don’t want to bow to union requirements, the federal government could impose the union’s conditions for up to two years without employees’ approval. Card Check isn’t just about unions; it’s also about federal control of business.
The danger of Card Check is twofold: First, in some situations, only the anonymity of the NLRB process has kept anti-union employees safe from abusive treatment by their pro-union co-workers. Under Card Check, employees who don’t want to unionize would be forced to reveal their vote, which would expose them to harassment by pro-union workers.
On the other hand, if attempts at unionization fail, Card Check would expose pro-union workers to similar treatment by employers—giving pro-union workers an added incentive to pressure their co-workers into unionizing. Even most union workers don’t want Card Check. A January 2007 poll by McLaughlin and Associates showed that 80 percent of union households oppose it. A 2004 Zogby International survey of union workers found that 71 percent agreed that the current private ballot process is fair.
Second, Card Check would inflate the cost of American goods and services, further crippling the ability of American companies to compete in the global market.
At present, even without Card Check, employees can unionize, but they have to go through a process of negotiation mediated by the NLRB. Unions complain that the process costs them too much time and money, and yet 60 percent of attempts to unionize under the present NLRB guidelines are successful. Why isn’t that enough?
Unions are losing members, and membership dues, as more jobs get shipped overseas or companies fold due to global competition. The unions want to force more of the Americans who are still employed to join unions to make up for lost money and clout.
Obviously, the unions’ concern is for themselves, not the well-being of American workers. The same is true for Democrats, who value repaying campaign favors over the good of American employees. Democrats rely heavily on union votes, particularly in the “Rust Belt,” parts of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
The Rust Belt got its name in the 1980s, during the decline of the American steel and auto manufacturing industries. As foreign manufacturers like Toyota became major players in the world market, jobs at American auto plants were cut. Union labor was too expensive and not innovative enough to compete. Many of those jobs and their support industries moved South, where unions were far less powerful. The metro Atlanta area owes a substantial chunk of its population to the exodus of jobs from the unionized North. The “Rust Belt” was named for the factories left to rust after their owners closed or moved South.
There is no question that unionization in the first half of the last century brought about much-needed changes in the workplace. At that time, employees’ concerns included being forced to work 15-hour days for too little pay in unsafe conditions. Today, labor laws allow employees to file complaints about such concerns with federal agencies like OSHA. In today's world market, going on strike is more likely to result in businesses shutting down than in higher wages. American workers are not as concerned about how many hours they work as they are about having jobs at all.
Chambliss isn’t perfect, but he may be all that stands between millions of American workers and the unemployment line.
I see Card Check as a nation killer. Especially in light of our current economic crisis. If this passes, the other non-union automakers will be 1st on the list to unionize along with Wal-Mart, who the left has demonized. My employer employs over 250 workers and would probably sell or close if unionized.
The fact that none other than Geoerge McGovern has come out AGAINST Card Check (he has appeared on commercials) is quite telling. This is about the dying Unions selling out to the Democratic/0bama elite, via ma$$ive campaign donations, to systematically re-grow the Unions (and their power base). Nobody wants this except 0bama/Pelosi/Reid/Frank and of course, Union ‘leaders.’
The Card Check issue got very little attention during the presidential campaign, but could turn out to be the most significant issue of the next four years. Once Obama’s union head cronies undemocratically force union agreements on all government employees the same problems that we see with the Big Three auto-makers will expand to the entire government. There will be no one to bail us out.
I beth the unions are drooling at the mouth at the idea of unionizing places like FedEx and UPS.
Welcome to the new and improved "New Direction" Amerika! It's about the money. Only the money.
UPS has been unionized for quite a while- their last strike was ~5 years ago IIRC.
One of the cards involved with card check will be red circles called targets.
In right to work states, union organizers will be issued the cards cause it’ll be open season on them
UPS is already union
Obama wants to raise taxes on income.
Obama wants to raise taxes on capital.
Obama want to increase the cost of labor through card check.
Obama wants to increase energy costs by cap and trade and other energy taxes.
Obama will force businesses to subsidize his national health care.
I'm surprised that the stock market is as high as it is.
Which makes me wonder if it isn't being manipulated in some way.(tin foil hat securely in place)
Fedex and UPS pilots are in the ALPA union and the truck drivers for UPS are in the teamsters do not know about fedex?
Walmart is the prize in this fight.
EXACTLY!
Once we replace all the no nads, out of date do nothings with new blood we can begin to fight a good fight. The only thing is, it's going to take time and I think America may be running out of time.
The voters of the Peach State had better prepare for so much $$$$ to come into the state from every Maoist in the world gunning for Chambliss.Hussein and Reid don’t want to have to bother with any kind of pesky “loyal opposition”.
No, we are fine. We just have to stop crying and get to work.
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