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Unions And the Path to Power

A report [1] in this morning’s Wall Street Journal points out:

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is mobilizing its store managers and department supervisors around the country to warn that if Democrats win power in November, they’ll likely change federal law to make it easier for workers to unionize companies — including Wal-Mart.

According to about a dozen Wal-Mart employees who attended such meetings in seven states, Wal-Mart executives claim that employees at unionized stores would have to pay hefty union dues while getting nothing in return, and may have to go on strike without compensation. Also, unionization could mean fewer jobs as labor costs rise.

Well, of course that’s just common sense. And of course the unions now have their tighty Whiteys in a knot. 

All of this of course centers around a Union-advocated bit of legislation, called, ironically, The “Employee Free Choice Act” .   King Banian [2] over at OTB [3]  notes the issues surrounding the legislation, and says:

[4]I’ve been involved lately in a little issues advocacy regarding card-check.  Card-check involves a union being able to use a card that workers sign to compel a firm to recognize the union as the sole bargaining agent of the entire shop.  My first post on the subject included Congressional testimony [5] by a former union organizer.

A “card check” campaign begins with union organizers going to the homes of workers over a weekend, a tactic called “housecalling,” with the sole intent of having those workers sign authorization cards. Called a “blitz” by the unions, it entails teams of two or more organizers going directly to the homes of workers. The workers’ personal information and home addresses used during the blitz was obtained from license plates and other sources that were used to create a master list.

In most cases, the workers have no idea that there is a union campaign underway. Organizers are taught to play upon this element of surprise to get “into the door.” They are trained to perform a five part house call strategy that includes: Introductions, Listening, Agitation, Union Solution, and Commitment. The goal of the organizer is to quickly establish a trust relationship with the worker, move from talking about what their job entails to what they would like to change about their job, agitate them by insisting that management won’t fix their workplace problems without a union and finally convincing the worker to sign a card.

…From my experience, the number of cards signed appear to have little relationship to the ultimate vote count. During a private election campaign, even though a union still sends organizers out to workers’ homes on frequent canvassing in attempts to gain support, the worker has a better chance to get perspective on the questions at hand.


 The point remains that a major push for Democratic candidates this year is coming from gobs of union cash — some of it compelled under threat of financial penalties [6] from their locals — and their top goal is to eviscerate the rights of workers to have a secret ballot by which they can decide whether they want to be represented by a union.  They don’t like the heat from Johnny Sac calling them out for what they’re doing.  For more, read here [7].

Wal-Mart is correct, of course in that this act actually takes away worker’s rights [8], and their money, as King aptly demonstrates in his peice. I strongly suggest reading here [7].

Remember a few days ago, I mentioned why Edwards was still playing large in the Veep race until that love child thing came out, was because the unions like him?

 

Add it up, folks.