While Congress is getting ready to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, the Executive branch of government has indicated that it will veto the Act, should it indeed be passed by both houses of Congress.
The House Education and Labor Committee has begun marking up the bill in preparation for a vote. There are, unfortunately, not just Democrats who are supporting this bill. And if the Democrats attract sufficient numbers of Republicans, there is a good chance that it will pass.
In the event of such passage, Vice President Cheney has stated to a business trade association, that President Bush will veto the bill. It is the right thing to do, for The Employee Free Choice Act is nothing less than a company-busting bill that would cause thousands of companies to transfer their operations to Asian and Southeast Asian countries, thus driving up unemployment.
We take our hats off to President Bush and are pleased that Corporate America has such a strong ally in our president, one who places a high value on such democratic traditions as secret-ballot elections.
The Public Good cannot be trampled upon by organized labor. It has been a stated principle of many municipal governments. It is why it is illegal for police officers, firefighters, and others who provide essential services to leave their jobs and go out on strike.
In Boston, it is not only illegal for teachers to go on strike, but it is even illegal for them to propose going on strike.
Nevertheless, teachers there are preparing to go on strike which would disrupt the education of 57,000 students; unintimidated, the superintendent of schools has warned them of the illegality of their intended actions.
In addition the state Labor Relations Commission has reiterated to the union that not only are strikes by public employees illegal in Massachusetts, but it is even illegal for teachers to meet to vote about a strike.
The Labor Relations Commission has ordered the 8,000 members of the Boston Teachers Union to “cease and desist from inducing, encouraging, or condoning any strike, work stoppage, or other withholding of services.” The Commission further ordered the Board to eliminate a provision from its bylaws that authorizes its members to vote for strikes.
When unions flex their muscles and use the power invested in them by their members to inflict harm on the public, they must be held accountable. The Labor Relations Commission of Massachusetts is setting an example for all cities and states across the country!
Organized labor is gearing up for the battle of the year: the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. Across the country, there have been full-page ads advocating the passage of the Act, which would permit unions to organize workers based upon getting them to sign cards affirming that they want to be represented by unions. It would do away with secret-ballot elections administered by the NLRB. It doesn’t matter to the unions that secret-ballot elections are part of our democratic heritage. They just want to unionize as many workers as possible, which will significantly augment their coffers, which – in turn – will permit them to spend more on backing pro-union politicians.
If the labor movement is successful in getting the Act passed, one can expect to see an onslaught of organizing efforts in service-sector jobs, such as those found in health care, hotel and motels, restaurants, and janitorial and building maintenance work.
Passing the Act will prove negative for many companies, especially those that are competing in a global labor marketplace. High wage costs would, indeed, damage many businesses.
Corporate America has demonstrated, time and time again, that wages can increase organically through improved education and workplace competency, which produce higher levels of productivity, thus justifying higher wages and making unionization superfluous.