Posted on 04/05/2009 5:30:54 AM PDT by Kaslin
Does “card-check” have a Plan B?
Yes, according to a group of businesses spearheaded by self-described pro-labor Democrat Lanny Davis.
Davis and the CEOs of Costco, Starbucks and Whole Foods, who consider themselves to be progressives, have come up with an alternative to the derailed card-check legislation. Yet offering an alternative that tries to please everyone is not always met with open arms.
Card-check is dead. Although organized labor and business will passionately disagree, the reality is that when Sen. Arlen Specter, R- Pa., jumped off the labor-friendly bandwagon (taking Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., with him), the bill lost its mojo.
Costco, Starbucks and Whole Foods, with Davis as their front man, call their effort the “Committee for A Level Playing Field.” Among many things, their proposal retains secret-ballot union elections, essentially taking the “card-check” component out of card-check.
They also propose eliminating binding arbitration and giving employers the right to apply to the National Labor Relations Board to decertify a union.
Labor’s benefits in this compromise come from tougher penalties on businesses for unfair or punitive labor practices, a quicker way to enforce those, and equal access to all employees during non-working hours for campaigning purposes.
AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer Richard Trumka’s reaction to the compromise was a blunt “no way.”
“Their proposal is woefully inadequate to protect workers rights. Maybe if someone shows us something that protects workers, but not this,” Trumka said after a rally for miners in Uniontown, Pa.
He said he was still very confident that labor will get the votes needed to pass card-check this year. “I am working on three senators right now whose votes will make this pass,” he said, declining to name the three.
A longtime friend of Specter, the AFL-CIO official said he was very disappointed that “he flip-flopped on the issues.”
Two weeks ago, Specter went from being at least for cloture on the bill to a deafening no, taking labor, business and his declining political career all by surprise.
Trumka isn’t the only big “no” from the labor movement. “Clearly, this so-called compromise was made by CEOs for CEOs … and (is) not something we would support,” said Josh Goldstein, spokesman for American Rights at Work, a pro-labor group.
"It is unfortunate organized labor has said ‘all or nothing,’ ” replied Gene Barr, vice president of governmental affairs for the Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce.
“Business is willing to have a discussion about issues that employees, organized labor, and employers believe would improve the process,” he said of a compromise. “But that discussion cannot happen with the hammer of card-check looming and threatening jobs and the economy.”
Despite all of its bluff and bluster, labor can’t be too happy when Diane Feinstein thinks this bill is dead.
And in fairness, it is pretty safe to say that labor along with its nemesis, big and small business, do not seem to think this Costco-Starbucks-Whole Foods plan is a good idea.
Why deal now? In the legislative process, people tend to avoid working off the other guy’s bill, particularly one as polarizing as this one.
Unions overplayed their hand. They figured that, with President Obama, Democrats controlling the House and Senate (and Specter in the bag), they had it all.
And, quite frankly they did – promises were made to them. But promises get broken.
Labor still has Obama’s backing and the House’s, but moderate Senate Democrats in southern states blanch at the prospect of having to vote for this legislation.
The supporters of Plan B took their proposal to the Hill last week, hoping to open a dialogue with moderates to see if labor and business can see a way through this polarizing bill. Too early to tell if anyone will bite.
The key consideration in whether anything passes in this Congress is each side’s calculation about the future.
Political parties, as well as business and labor, understand that the 2010 Senate races give Democrats a good opportunity to pick up additional seats.
“Democrats will be at 59 once (Al) Franken (D-Minn.) is seated,” said political science professor Larry Sabato. “If they add a few more senators in 2010 – well within the bounds of possibility – they can pass a pure card-check bill.”
But keep an eye on Republicans and business, who want to kill card-check totally now and redouble their uphill efforts for 2010. They may – and this is a big “may” – want to try to secure some reasonable compromise while they still have some leverage.
Bump
Davis and the CEOs of Costco, Starbucks and Whole Foods, who consider themselves to be progressives
Progressives are COMMUNISTS!
Good reasons not to shop at Costco, Starbucks and Whole Foods
Dang it.
I like shopping at CostCo.
May have to reconsider.
The socialists need not worry. Senator Chris Dudd will support it after the 2101 elections. ;O)
the 2101 elections= 2010
Campaigning purposes::Translation--Muscle for Money, ACORN, your friendly neighborhood union 'representative', phone calls, harassment, kids harassment, 'family' visits, pickett lines (right outside your house), bus tours, wow. So many opportunities, so little time! Lawyers don't kill companies, Unions do!
Had a long conversation with an entreprenneur once, one who I deeply respected (since he came out of the corporate world in which I remained) . His comment when his company went under....”I’ll start another business someday...one where I don’t have to deal with: Customers, Unions, or Government”! only half tongue-in-cheek.
“equal access to all employees during non-working hours for ‘’campaigning purposes’’.
I don’t get the equal access during non working hrs thing. Seems to me that when I am not working I can access any thing I choose, be it meetings or campaign work or whatever, exactly why or how would an employer be expected to provide equal access during non working hrs?
I refuse to buy them...
anyone got anymore Liberal/Progressives we can defund?
They want to ban the employers from holding any meetings before work, after work or during lunch time. In other words, if you are not on the floor working, the employer cannot talk to you.
They tried this in WA State this year, but the union leaders messed up by sending out intimidating emails in a mass emailing and someone reported it as bribery. The governor immediately pulled the bill from consideration.
It’s kind of a sticky situation for the WA government because they are being sued by several branches of the SEIU for not funding their contracts at the same time that the SEIU is pushing for Democrats to support their card check legislation and threatening to pull funding from the same Democrats.
Exposing the incestuous relationship between the politicians and the labor unions is a good way to fight them.
Thanks, that clarifies that statement. I thought that was already pretty much the case, that people were paid if they were at work meetings not held during regular working hrs. If not my employer is very worker friendly.
Di Fi jumped ship on card check?
That’s friggin unbelievable...maybe there is some hope for the future...
It’s nice of them to ‘list themselves as progressives’ for us, isn’t it! Hey...let the progressives pay $4 for coffee, us rational folk can do just fine at 75 cents or so.
I’m in the same boat - love Costco, but have made an effort to not give lefties ANY of my money. I checked on my membership, and it auto-renewed 2 months ago. I told them to take me off the auto-renewal list.
I’ll go to Sam’s when it expires.
Yep, the lists for SEIU members, ACORN members, and ‘Muscle for Money’ members is easy to get! Once you have one list you have them all!
Speaking of the SEIU, they have been very active in WA State the last couple of years. This year, they placed an initiative on the ballot, requiring all day care workers and nursing home care givers receive two weeks training. My husband and I both realized that this was just an organizing trick to get the tax payer to fund their organizing. It passed, and now the SEIU is suing to have the initiative funded.
Anyway, yesterday a baby was left in a car all day, while the mother worked and was dead, by the time the mother finished work. The mother worked at an adult care center, but couldn’t take care of her own baby. Imagine what kind of workers they will get once the SEIU takes charge.
Wow, another feather in the Union’s headband (and I use that in the literal scalped whiteman apache sense)! Great tagline, by the way...our whole organization was once accused (by a consultant) of ‘tolerating mediocrity’! Imagine that after 50 or so years of Union rules!!!! True to form, a few years later and the Union finally ‘nailed the coffin shut’! (I’m betting I don’t need to translate that for this group)
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