[Peace-discuss] Liberal opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act

Mon Oct 27 14:57:21 CDT 2008

George McGovern doesn't represent "liberal opposition" - he was always
bad on labor issues and doesn't represent any group of liberals on
labor issues. Among Democrats, he is totally isolated on this issue,
as shown by the votes in the House and the Senate. Note where this
appeared: the Wall Street Journal, whose opinion page is the house
organ for the greediest fraction of capital.

Here are some responses:

Wal-Mart Lover George McGovern Throws Unions Under the Bus For His
Lobbyist Friend, Rick Berman
Ian Welsh, Monday August 11, 2008
http://firedoglake.com/2008/08/11/wal-mart-lover-george-mcgovern-throws-unions-under-the-bus-for-his-lobbyist-friend-rick-berman/

American Rights at Work: Lies & Distortion on the Secret Ballot
http://www.americanrightsatwork.org/employee-free-choice-act/resource-library/lies--distortion-on-the-secret-ballot-20080730-596-84-84.html

Dean Baker: "The only change with the Employee Free Choice Act is
whether card check recognition is at the discretion of the employer of
the worker. In other words, it changes absolutely ZERO about whether
the right of workers to organize is determined by secret ballot or
not. The only thing it changes is who gets to decide the manner of
certification, workers or employers."
http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2008083419/mcgovern-mystery

Mark Weisbrot: Employee Free Choice Act Could Be Biggest Reform Since New Deal
http://www.cepr.net/index.php/op-eds-&-columns/op-eds-&-columns/employee-free-choice-act-could-be-biggest-reform-since-new-deal/

On Mon, Oct 27, 2008 at 2:40 PM, C. G. Estabrook <galliher at uiuc.edu> wrote:
> [I know that our associates promoting EFCA are doing so with the appropriate
> goal of encouraging and strengthening unions, but there is a case to be
> answered -- liberal opposition, as below.  --CGE]
>
>        WALL STREET JOURNAL
>        AUGUST 8, 2008
>        My Party Should Respect Secret Union Ballots
>        By GEORGE MCGOVERN
>
> As a congressman, senator and one-time Democratic nominee for the
> presidency, I've participated in my share of vigorous public debates over
> issues of great consequence. And the public has been free to accept or
> reject the decisions I made when they walked into a ballot booth, drew the
> curtain and cast their vote. I didn't always win, but I always respected the
> process.
>
> Voting is an immense privilege.
>
> That is why I am concerned about a new development that could deny this
> freedom to many Americans. As a longtime friend of labor unions, I must
> raise my voice against pending legislation I see as a disturbing and
> undemocratic overreach not in the interest of either management or labor.
>
> The legislation is called the Employee Free Choice Act, and I am sad to say
> it runs counter to ideals that were once at the core of the labor movement.
> Instead of providing a voice for the unheard, EFCA risks silencing those who
> would speak.
>
> The key provision of EFCA is a change in the mechanism by which unions are
> formed and recognized. Instead of a private election with a secret ballot
> overseen by an impartial federal board, union organizers would simply need
> to gather signatures from more than 50% of the employees in a workplace or
> bargaining unit, a system known as "card-check." There are many documented
> cases where workers have been pressured, harassed, tricked and intimidated
> into signing cards that have led to mandatory payment of dues.
>
> Under EFCA, workers could lose the freedom to express their will in private,
> the right to make a decision without anyone peering over their shoulder,
> free from fear of reprisal.
>
> There's no question that unions have done much good for this country. Their
> tenacious efforts have benefited millions of workers and helped build a
> strong middle class. They gave workers a new voice and pushed for laws that
> protect individuals from unfair treatment. They have been a friend to the
> Democratic Party, and so I oppose this legislation respectfully and with
> care.
>
> To my friends supporting EFCA I say this: We cannot be a party that strips
> working Americans of the right to a secret-ballot election. We are the party
> that has always defended the rights of the working class. To fail to ensure
> the right to vote free of intimidation and coercion from all sides would be
> a betrayal of what we have always championed.
>
> Some of the most respected Democratic members of Congress -- including Reps.
> Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, George Miller and Pete Stark of California, and Barney
> Frank of Massachusetts -- have advised that workers in developing countries
> such as Mexico insist on the secret ballot when voting as to whether or not
> their workplaces should have a union. We should have no less for employees
> in our country.
>
> I worry that there has been too little discussion about EFCA's true
> ramifications, and I think much of the congressional support is based on a
> desire to give our friends among union leaders what they want. But part of
> being a good steward of democracy means telling our friends "no" when they
> press for a course that in the long run may weaken labor and disrupt a tried
> and trusted method for conducting honest elections.
>
> While it is never pleasant to stand against one's party or one's friends,
> there are times when such actions are necessary -- as with my early and
> lonely opposition to the Vietnam War. I hope some of my friends in Congress
> will re-evaluate their support for this legislation. Because as Americans,
> we should strive to ensure that all of us enjoy the freedom of expression
> and freedom from fear that is our ideal and our right.
>
> Mr. McGovern is a former senator from South Dakota and the 1972 Democratic
> presidential candidate.
>
> Copyright 2008 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
>
>
> Robert Naiman wrote:
>>
>> Employee Free Choice Act of 2007 (Engrossed as Agreed to or Passed by
>> House)
>> http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c110:1:./temp/~c110fJ89fa::
>>
>> AFL-CIO page on the Employee Free Choice Act:
>> http://www.afl-cio.org/joinaunion/voiceatwork/efca/
>>
>> AFL-CIO Q & A on the Employee Free Choice Act
>> http://www.afl-cio.org/joinaunion/voiceatwork/efca/qna.cfm
>>
>> Roll Call in the House:   H R 800,  1-Mar-2007
>> 241-185
>> 228 Democrats in favor, 2 opposed
>> 13 Republicans in favor, 185 opposed (TJ voted no.)
>> http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll118.xml
>>
>> Roll Call in the Senate: On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke
>> Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to Consider H.R.800 )
>> 51-48 (cloture failed, needing 60)
>> All Dems voted yes; SD Tim Johnson was absent due to illness
>> All Rs voted no, except for Specter, who voted yes.
>> Lieberman and Sanders voted yes.
>>
>> http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00227
>> _______________________________________________
>> Peace-discuss mailing list
>> Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
>> http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/peace-discuss
>
> _______________________________________________
> Peace-discuss mailing list
> Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
> http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/peace-discuss
>

-- 
Robert Naiman
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org

Ambassador Pickering on Iran Talks and Multinational Enrichment
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kGZFrFxVg8A