Posted on 05/04/2009 5:47:13 AM PDT by reaganaut1
[T]he unions may have a fallback position [on card check]: Forget about the secret ballot, and try to pass a bill with mandatory federal arbitration. This might be easier to defend. Every American knows what the secret ballot is; few Americans know what mandatory arbitration means.
Mandatory arbitration would be a major, massive change in American labor law. Currently, unions are free to strike, but employers are free to resist their demands as long as they want. The card check bill would require, after only 120 days of bargaining, a federal arbitrator to step in and impose a settlement. A centralized bureaucrat, not responsible to shareholders (or to union leaders), would determine wages, fringe benefits and working conditions. There would evidently be no appeal.
No one knows exactly what this would mean in practice. But the negative consequences are easy to imagine. Arbitrators might very well impose terms and conditions similar to those in existing union-negotiated contracts. Those might include not only wages that would reduce a business' profits, but also generous fringe benefits and thousands of pages of detailed work rules.
Private employers might be forced into funding union pension plans with their massive long-term liabilities. Detailed work rules would mean adversarial negotiations between company foremen and union shop stewards over even the most minor changes in work procedures.
How would this affect the economy? We have a test case before us, highlighted by recent headlines, which gives us some answers: the auto industry.
The U.S.-based auto manufacturers — once known as The Big Three — have been running their businesses this way since they entered into contracts with the United Auto Workers between 1937 and 1941.
(Excerpt) Read more at jewishworldreview.com ...
This is effectively nationalization of ALL unionized businesses - a federal employee, the arbitrator, will be setting wages, benefits, etc.
The next step will be to unionize all or at least most businesses, and voila, zero will have nationalized the private sector. Pretty much all of it.
More payback from Obama to unions:
OBAMA ACTS, CONTROLLERS REACT
The Obama administration Thursday announced that it will create a mediation team to immediately address the FAA/NATCA contract dispute and NATCA President Patrick Forrey was quick to respond with praise. Controllers have been dissatisfied with work conditions since contract negotiations broke down and the FAA imposed non-negotiated work rules on the union nearly three years ago. NATCA understood the president’s comments and action to indicate that the administration’s resolve to stabilize the controller workforce and restore a collaborative work environment is a top priority. Said Forrey, “With this bold step, President Obama is fulfilling his commitment to the safety and modernization of the air traffic control system and to the dedicated men and women safety professionals who run the system each day.” Forrey added thanks to Transportation Secretary LaHood “for his leadership and commitment to resolving this issue.”
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