Stephen, J. Cabot blog

The Governor of Hawaii has proven that she is a woman of firm principles. She had vowed to veto a bill, passed by the legislator, which would have permitted unions to organize workers by means of card checks.

Now, Governor Linda Lingle has kept her promise and vetoed an undemocratic bill that would have been a burden on the economy of her state.
The Governor rightly stated that card checks would be a “poor substitute for the secret ballot and is ripe for abuse.”

In our democratic republic, our political institutions have thrived based upon the participation of the citizenry, casting their ballots without fear of intimidation. It is obvious to students of democracy that the replacement of secret ballots with card checks would make workers vulnerable to intimidation by aggressive union organizers.

One can only hope that the legislators of Hawaii will rise above union pressure and not attempt to override the courageous veto of Governor Lingle.

The California Nurses Association alleges that members of the Service Employees International Union “have threatened nurses at their homes and workplaces,” according to an article in The New York Times.

A judge in Oakland, California has issued a court order barring the members of the SEIU from harassing members of the Nurses Association. The SEIU has said it will file a motion for the dismissal of the restraining order.

What to make of this? Both unions want to organize nurses in Ohio, and so are indulging in a turf battle. And though John Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO seeks to mediate an agreement between the two sides, such an outcome is not inevitable. After all, the SEIU withdrew from the AFL-CIO in 2005, and the Nurses Association is a member of the AFL-CIO.

This is what happens when the union movement has outgrown its purpose and has to battle with its allies over recruiting potential members. The union movement is not only anachronistic; it has become desperate and perhaps self-destructive.

According to a PR Newswire press release, “Five healthcare workers and members of United Healthcare Workers-West have sued their Washington-based parent organization, Service Employees International Union, alleging violations of their federal rights to speak freely and to participate in union activities.”

Their lawsuit alleges that SEIU president Andy Stern and others at the union violated the Labor-Management Reporting Disclosure Act, which states that every union member has the right to free assembly and to meet with others members; members also have the right to speak their minds and argue various points of view.

The suit alleges that SEIU officials have asked for the removal of a workers’ website, where they shared information about union activities.
According to the workers’ complaint, the SEIU is attempting to “limit, inhibit, and chill the exercise of their rights of free speech.”

This is one of many examples of unions attempting to act like totalitarian governments, censoring free speech and putting road blocks in the way of basic employee freedoms. It is no wonder that union membership is declining and that workers feel they can do better for themselves without being placed like beasts of burden in union harnesses.

Organized labor is organized to vote Democratic. In fact, it is hoping for a triple win: a Democratic president, a Democratic Senate, and a Democratic House of Representatives.

To achieve that goal, according to a recent editorial in The Wall Street Journal by Kimberley Strassel, organized labor has put its money where the votes are: The AFL-CIO has set aside $53-million to fund a grass roots get-out-the-vote drive. Affiliated unions have pledged an additional $200-million. The International Service Employees Union has earmarked $100-million for advancing its political agenda. The National Education Association is putting up $40-million. In fact, when all the money has been spent, it will be about $500,000 million, if not more.

Ms. Strassel poses a question that should raise red flags amongst everyone in Corporate America: What precisely does organized labor want for its money and its votes?

First, they want Congress to do away with secret ballot elections, and let unions use so-called card checks to sign up members. It’s easy for organizers to be persuasive during card check drives, a persuasion that does not exist when secret ballots are used.

Second, they want unions to be the exclusive representatives of all fire and police personnel. One can only imagine what would happen in big cities if cops and firefighters walked off their jobs for a strike!

Third, they want Congress to declare right-to-work states illegal. In other words, every state should be a ripe target for union organizers. All those states that attracted foreign automobile manufacturers, such as Toyota and Nissan, will no longer be attractive entities for foreign manufacturers, which would leave this country and move to Asia. The loss of jobs and tax revenues would be disastrous.

And finally, the unions want to load up the National Labor Relations Board with pro-union activists, who will vote to support every union position.

The country is at a cross roads and Corporate America may face one of its biggest challenges since the advent of the New Deal.