Letters to the Editor
EFCA Will Pass -- The Status Quo Is a Sham
Editor, Times-Dispatch:
Your "Stark Differences" editorial was a tirade against the Employee Free Choice Act that unwittingly revealed the real reason we need it. When you note that the EFCA "could effectively eliminate the secret-ballot election," you are right on the money -- but not because the bill mandates any such thing. In fact, under the EFCA, workers would be free to choose whether to organize by either a simple majority of signed worker authorizations (card check) or a secret ballot election. Either way, the EFCA allows workers to make the decision.The reason folks support the EFCA is as simple as the main provision of the bill itself: If a majority of workers sign union cards, they are entitled to union representation. The current secret-ballot system that your editorial champions as a "cornerstone of representative democracy" is a sham. It allows management, not workers, to dictate the terms of the vote. That translates into allowing corporate union busters ample time to intervene in the process with a combination of threats, bribes, and other tactics designed to strangle the baby in the crib. That's hardly democratic. That is also why the secret ballot election will likely disappear when the EFCA is passed.
And it will pass. The EFCA has had broad support for years. Only the threat of a Republican filibuster kept it from passing in Congress in 2007 -- a fact your editorial conveniently omits. You quote GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell, who warns that "this is not the time to imperil our free enterprise system." Wake up! It's already in trouble and it's because of greedy CEOs and hapless management, not unions.
If folks want to organize for better pay, better health benefits, and better working conditions, why not let them? It's only fair.
Ted Peebles. Richmond.
EFCA Would Restore A Strong Middle Class
Editor, Times-Dispatch:
The recent letter by Harry Roberts, "Senator Should Heed Constituents' Views," incorrectly portrays the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) as eliminating workers' rights to a secret-ballot election. This is absolutely not true. The EFCA does not affect the option to hold a secret ballot election -- it simply makes it the workers' choice rather than the employer's decision.There have been two options for choosing a union since 1935: majority sign-up or a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election process. Under the EFCA, the two options will still exist. The difference is that a majority of workers will decide between the two options instead of management making the decision for the employees. Shouldn't it be the workers' decision and not the employer's?
I applaud Sen. Jim Webb for his stance on the EFCA. Most Virginians are hurting right now. For too long we've let Wall Street and CEOs go unchecked. Now our economy is collapsing and working families like mine are losing their jobs, their homes, and their health care.
We need to act now to ensure that workers -- and not just CEOs -- can share in the prosperity they help create. The EFCA would give workers the choice of how they want to form a union to secure improved wages, benefits, and working conditions. This legislation would simply restore basic rights workers enjoyed for decades when our middle class was strong.
Jewel Royal. Richmond.
Labor Bill Offers Workers a Fair Choice
Editor, Times-Dispatch:
In the editorial, "Stacked Decks,"The Times-Dispatch
failed to accurately describe the hurdles workers face when they join together and form a union.
A National Labor Relations Board election bears little resemblance to a democratic election. The NLRB election process is fraught with thousands of cases of intimidation, coercion, and illegal terminations. Companies illegally fire a worker for supporting a union in a quarter of all organizing drives. Employer violations of workers' rights have increased 500 percent since the late 1960s.
No matter how you slice it, the employer holds all the power. Remember, it's the company that sets pay, approves vacations, and promotes or fires workers -- not union organizers. And it's the employers who can threaten any of those things -- not union organizers. The playing field is far from level.
This is the dirty little secret in the billion-dollar union-busting business. And that's why corporate CEOs can easily veto the wishes of a majority of workers who want to form a union.
Majority sign-up already exists today and it works. Successful businesses like AT&T Wireless, Kaiser Permanente, and Harley Davidson have allowed their employees to use majority sign-up. In fact, more than 500,000 workers have used it to form unions since 2003. Studies show that using majority sign-up results in less pressure and conflict than NLRB elections. It should be available to all workers, not just those whose boss lets them use it.
The Employee Free Choice Act is simple: If workers want to band together to negotiate for better pay, benefits, and working conditions, they get to decide how to do so. Workers can choose to organize through majority sign-up, an NLRB election, or not at all. Giving workers this choice is fair, democratic, and the best way to build an economy that works for everyone again.
Rep. George Miller (D-Cal.), Chairman,
Committee on Education and Labor, U.S. House of Representatives. Washington.Anti-Semitism Remains Alive and Well
Editor, Times-Dispatch:
The Anti-Defamation League poll that revealed nearly one-third of Europeans blame Jews for the global economic meltdown and a greater number think Jews have too much power in the business world is good old anti-Semitism at its finest. The more things change in Europe, the more they stay the same.It was less than 70 years ago that most of the countries where the people were polled were participating in the Holocaust. The European continent is one vast Jewish cemetery and is saturated in Jewish blood. As Europeans, along with numerous other peoples around the world, continue to blame the Jews for all the world's ills, they inadvertently make the best case as to why Israel must remain vigilant against all its enemies and Israel must live!
Martin Plotkin. Richmond.
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Reader Reactions
Randy- give me a break.
You are entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to hate unions (which you clearly do) but you’re not entitled to call people liars.
And come on, these aren’t facts. You clearly hate unions and wish everyone else did too.
But many don’t. They understand what types of protections they provide and how, by joining together, workers can have a voice at the table. The Employee Free Choice Act makes it easier for workers to decide if they want a union- it’s really nothing to get all up in arms over.
And in Virginia, if you don’t want to belong in a union, you don’t have to.
Quick Question: Did you have this weekend off? Well, if you did, you can thank unions.
It has very little to do with being pro-union and very much to do with being pro-worker. I’ve witnessed the devastation that’s caused by companies during an organizing campaign, in fact, my father was management in a company that attempted to union-bust and to hear the stories of the things he was expected to do to workers that simply wanted to improve their working conditions is sickening.
I’m not going to engage in a back-and-forth argument instead I think it’s best for people to form their own opinions.
As far as the Chicago Republic Windows and Doors worker link that I posted, you can google and find other links yourself on MSNBC and other news sites. I simply posted what I found on the issue and what I knew was current but feel free to search something yourself, although as I am sure you recognize—no “news source” is unbiased.
I won’t get into banter either around union staff and their salaries because that’s ridiculous and intended to deflect I assume from the many effective arguments around CEO compensation.
It’s sad that this is the position that many workers find themselves in when fighting for better working conditions and frankly if nothing illustrates the need for better education in our schools about the history of workers in America and Virginia, I don’t know what does. My concern is workers, like myself, because without us the country will surely fail.
I support the Employee Free Choice Act and thankfully so do other workers like me. I hope our legislators do as well—because I’d hate to see more employees management or not, have to face aggressive anti-union campaigns during a time when we need workers to succeed more than ever.
Here’s the problem - you are lying. You are engaged in one sided propaganda and passing me off on a one sided, pro-union link tells me and everyone that you are undoubtedly misrepresenting yourself.
You keep mentioning my research and that’s certainly a part of it, but, more importantly, MY EXPERIENCE also speaks to this sensibility. I’ve seen unions in Louisiana flatten tires, beat people up and threaten families. I’ve seen coal miner’s unions and auto worker’s unions engage in substantial vandalism and threats - that’s my experience. Your pro union web sites don’t talk about that kind of stuff. Your pro union web sites don’t talk about destroying the International Paper plant in Louisiana and almost taking the town with it.
You talk about employers intimidating employees (there’s another example of your one-sided propaganda), how about unions intimidating businesses and those workers who don’t get with the union program?
Yeah, tell me that doesn’t happen. Unions are a cancer. I have personally seen it with my own eyes too many times for it to be the exception.
You have a fairly smooth presentation, but, anyone who’s been in the work force for any length of time knows what union shills are about. I believe you’re a worker in Virginia - I don’t believe for a minute that that is all you are - there’s much more to your background that you’re not telling everyone.
You talk about how much money management makes in a business and try to stir up trouble, but, know what? There’s not a union official alive that can honestly tell you that he’s turned down a raise because “it’s too much oney compared to what the worker makes”. If you think management in business makes a lot of money, guess how much union management makes compared to the workers? Clue: When business makes that kind of money, the unions use terms like “obscene” and call for “worker justice”. Unions make money off the back of workers and live the high life - much higher than the workers. This isn’t propaganda or rhetoric, it’s a FACT.
Everyone, demand to see the payroll of the officials in your local union before signing away your paycheck to them. Demand transparency. If you see what union management really makes, the houses they live in, the cars they drive and the circles they travel in, you’ll know I’m right.
By the way, if you’re conservative at all, demand that the union show you to whom they are making their political donations - chances are, it’s overwhelmingly democrat. Yes, your union dues are going to democrats - which is O.K. if you’re a democrat - if you’re a republican, it stinks. Ask a union rep why they are against drilling in ANWR and here in the lower United States when it would mean thousands of union jobs. No, they have a different agenda and watching out for you is way down on the list.
This isn’t propaganda, it’s fact - make them show you their payroll and donations list. You’ll puke.
Randy—Thanks for your response to my post and it’s unfortunate that you are continuing the conversation around the rhetoric of anti- worker, anti-unionism. While I commend you for your research into unions, I think one part that we should look to is the comments that I made in my piece about when unions might not be necessary. Do I have a stake in this fight? Absolutely, I’m a worker in Virginia. Do I subscribe to one-sided propaganda? No. Do I recognize flaws in the labor movement? Of course. But the part that is crucial here is that unions offer the best chance for workers to right the scales. A good example is the situation with Republic Window and Doors factory workers, represented by the union UE, that occupied a factory that was being shut down as a result of Bank of America and its collapse. The workers were successful through public support to prevent the closing of the plant and have recently found a buyer for the company which resulted in them keeping their jobs (http://www.ueunion.org/ue_republic.html). These were union workers who with the support of their union were able to accomplish great things.
And back to your comments regarding the phrase “worker justice” and the fact that people can sue their employer, etc. That’s not the reality, as I’m sure you discovered in your research. Attorneys cost money and in many cases under current labor law, it’s difficult to receive rulings in the employers favor. It’s not always about compensation so to make that argument as a case for people finding other employment is absurd. People don’t want unions just because their wages are low and unions do more than raise wages for union workers.
Unions don’t create disharmony and the other items that you mentioned and don’t need that to organize workers. All they need is workers that are interested in organizing.
One part that is missing in all of these negative anti-Free Choice, anti-union postings is remembering the individual worker and their role. It’s their decision, as it always should be, whether they want a union or not. It’s not up to the employer or anyone else. If they don’t want a union, they will vote against it and that’s the bottom line. But, they should be free to do so without coercion and threats from their employers. Unions don’t drain wealth from the workers and the companies—they raise the standard of living for all workers including Management at the companies that are there.
Plus in Virginia union membership is optional so workers can benefit from the union being there for free.
Workers would benefit most from the CHOICE between secret ballot and card check. It should be THEIR choice and not their employers. If you are talking about who benefits from an anti-union company campaign with the intent to keep a union out, the answer would be no one—not management, not the workers, and not the union.
Let the workers choose and stop the rhetoric—because the anti-union “facts” that are being spouted here are the same old language we hear in company meetings intended to intimidate workers into voting against the union.
It should be my choice as a worker and not yours to decide for me. That sounds like a just process to me.
By the way, just because a manager makes big bucks, taking him down doesn’t put $1.00 in your pocket for having done so.
If you’re focusing on how much somebody else in your company makes, you’re focusing on the wrong thing. Here’s a helpful question to ask the boss and you don’t need a union thug to ask it for you:
“Boss, I’d like more responsibility and higher compensation. How can I get there?“
99.9% of bosses love that attitude and will gladly help you develop and meet those goals. No union necessary.
Wages have been stagnant for 25 years, while productivity has soared. The only people who have gotten a raise have been the CEOs (30 years ago they made 40 times as much as their average worker. now? 400). No one can dispute the growing (and frightening) disparity between the rich and everyone else.
It’s time that we give working people a shot in this economy. It’s about time we stopped rewarding greed and corruption by bailing out irresponsible banks. The Employee Free Choice Act doesn’t cost taxpayers a dime and will allow workers the free choice to bargain collectively for a better life.
Right now, we must start growing a strong middle class again and this bill will help do that.
RichmondJwJ’s post demands a response. You’ll note that the post is filled with catchphrases such as “worker justice” as if the poster is intimately familiar with the language and methods by which unions infiltrate a business and, as in the case of the UAW, bring the business to its knees.
Let’s face facts - in terms of compensation, when you accept a position with a company, you’ve made an agreement between yourself and the organization for a predetermined amount of compensation ( for the purposes of context, benefits are a form of compensation) - what everyone else makes, what the boss makes and what the boss’s boss makes are none of your business. If you do not like the compensation you’ve been offered, you have every right to seek employment elsewhere. If you want “worker’s justice” you can sue your employer in court if, in fact, it is determined you have been wronged by the employer.
I have seen unions come into businesses and make enemies of old friends. I’ve seen unions, by their sheer cost, render businesses non-competitive in terms of price, service and innovation. TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED TO THE INTERNATIONAL PAPER PLANT IN LOUISIANA - THANKS TO AN UNFORGIVING UNION. The plant had to shut down and relocate and hundreds of local jobs were lost and it decimated the local economy for years.
A union at Circuit City would have done nothing to stop the death spiral the management was in. Maybe, instead of the the management walking off with millions, the union would have walked away with that money - but, not the workers. Think I’m kidding? Take a look at how much money unions have in their bank accounts and pensions - and they don’t manufacture a thing, nor do they provide a service commensurate with the money they take out of a worker’s paycheck.
Unions depend on creating disharmony, paranoia and overall suspicion in the work place by creating tension between the work force and the management.
Why is an American made automobile so expensive to make and why is it non-competitive in terms of price and quality? Unions. Why are taxpayers having to bailout the auto makers? Because unions won’t make any substantive concessions - it’s all coming from the automaker or the tax payer. Why? Because the politicians that are in power now, will back them up (after they give the appearance of beating them up in a public hearing).
Don’t let the tail wag the dog. Unions, in this day and age, drain wealth from workers and the companies that they work for. If the business shuts down, the union moves on, like the creature in the movie Alien, to destroy another business - and they’ve got YOUR money.
Card check is simply a way of allowing unions to identify, intimidate and run off folks who may not want to be a part of the union. Unions want your money - they don’t care about worker’s rights, or even justice. Who benefits from card check? Unions. Who benefits from having a secret ballot? Workers. Even George McGovern, a man with whom I agree on almost nothing, recognizes the danger of removing a secret ballot from workers.
Don’t be fooled by this union double talk.
It is disturbing to read some of the anti-worker comments that have been posted in response to these letters to editor. As we interact on a daily basis with workers across the Common"wealth” that have been laid off and in many cases have worked for free (Qimonda), watched their CEOs receive bulk payouts in the millions (Circuit City), lost their insurance and then their jobs (LandAmerica)—how can we not see the need for worker justice? In instances where employers provide the things they should like a living wage, job security, protection for workers in a lay-off condition, then yes—maybe unions aren’t necessary. Until that time however, unions are vital. We tend as Virginians, with little exposure to unions, to have a biased view of their purpose and their role in working America. Unions have changed and more and more workers form independent unions that aren’t affiliated with a major international union so the argument about the massive “bully” unions aren’t valid anymore. There are many instances in Virginia of these sorts of independent worker unions. Also, the important part with the Employee Free Choice Act that everyone seems to be missing on the opposing side is that it give the choice to EMPLOYEES to CHOOSE the method by which they elect the union. IT DOES NOT ELIMINATE SECRET BALLOT—instead, the workers can choose majority sign up or secret ballot. At a time when so many are losing their jobs and when corporate greed of CEOs is catching up to all of us, how can we not give power back to the workers?
You absolutely cannot support business and not support the workers. Please be careful in the attack that is being levied here—-we need workers to succeed and the Employee Free Choice Act would ensure that these disgusting attacks stop.
Visit http://richmondjwj.org/freechoice for FACTUAL information about the Act (including the actual text of the Bill).
Here’s the thing about unions:
Nobody is forced to work for someone else. If they do not like the pay, the conditions, the benefits, the hours, they are free to leave the company and seek employment elsewhere. In this day and age, it just that simple.
Just like Walmart. For all of you Walmart haters, now hear this: nobody is forced to shop there and nobody is forced to work there - if Walmart’s the only job, you as an adult, are qualified for, then you’re either severely handicapped (and the handicapped do a great job, have a great attitude and are thankful for the work) or you’ve made a series of really stupid choices in life that resulted in the job picking you rather than vice versa.
Contrary to this utopian tripe about how wonderful unions are, I think they quash initiative, innovation and create atmospheres of fear and suspicion throughout an organization.
I don’t care how much the owner of my company makes. When I was offered a job, I was concerned about MY compensation and had every right to turn it down the offer of employment to seek employment elsewhere - I don’t need a union ginning up class warfare at the work site.
Bigbus and Ted Peebles,
I agree with both of you. Bigbus, I agree we no longer need unions. Initially unions served a noble purpose to win rights for oppressed workers but this is no longer the case and has not been for some time now. The unions grew powerful enough to replace the problem they sought to eradicate. The unions are now more of a detriment than an asset to a free enterprise system. One only needs to look at the airline and auto industries to see their current negative effects.
Sadly Ted Peebles you are probably right when you says the bill will be passed. Today I found a survey done by Wilson Research Strategies that polled the voters between 01/15 and 01/22 2009. They found that “less than 2 in 10 polled had even heard anything about the EFCA.” Of the 19% that were aware of it; 49% were against it, 33% were in favor of it, and 19% were undecided. I have to wonder what the other 8 voters read, listen to on the radio or watch on television. Be that as it may, based on these numbers among knowledgeable voters; 10% against, 6.3% for, and 3.6% undecided there is little doubt this will get passed in spite of several strong lobbies working to defeat the bill. The Senate is the battleground as both the house and President Obama will be a rubber stamp. If the Senate manages to win a cloture vote (very likely), it is over and Ted, you pro union folks will win the battle but lose the war.
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