The Bullies Bailout: Why Social Conservatives Should Oppose EFCA

Human Events ^ | 7-31-09 | Gary Bauer

[Wolf13]

If we have learned anything about our liberal Democratic overlords during the first six months of their rule, it is the depth and breadth of their devotion to government bailouts as a panacea for all that ails America. But bailouts serve a deeper purpose for Democrats. They are a great way to revive struggling constituencies, from investment banks and Big Auto to Big Abortion and so on.

Few Democratic constituencies are more in need of a helping hand than Big Labor. A new bill being pushed by Democrats could prove lucrative for labor unions, and all their liberal causes.

Many unions, like the AFL-CIO and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), are millions of dollars in debt. And until last year, labor union membership had been declining since 1954, when it peaked at 28 percent of workers.

But things may be getting better for unions, which would receive a financial windfall if the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) becomes law, according to a June study by the Workforce Fairness Institute (WFI). Congressional Democrats have been trying to pass EFCA for years. The latest version of the bill was introduced in both chambers of Congress in March.

There is much to dislike about EFCA. Perhaps foremost is a provision to replace the right of workers to vote on unionization by secret ballot with a widely unpopular “card check” policy allowing union bosses to bully employees into signing a card in favor of a union. Because the right to a secret ballot is so revered, even some Democratic senators oppose card check, and there is talk that the provision will be left out of the final legislation. Even if it is, there are plenty of other aspects of EFCA to hate.

[Marysecretary]

Vote them all out next time they’re up for re-election.