It’s War! Union Blasts Blue Dog Dem For Saying He’ll Vote Against Employee Free Choice
The battle begins: We now have our first Congressional Democrat who has openly confirmed that he’ll vote against the Employee Free Choice Act — and the Service Employees International Union is blasting him for it and vowing a public campaign against him.
This is significant — it’s a harbinger of the intramural wars that lie ahead and an indication of what the big unions will do to discourage moderate Dems from breaking ranks and opposing the measure, which is labor’s top priority.
The Democrat in question is Blue Dog Dem Rep. Dan Boren. He confirmed that he’ll vote against Employee Free Choice during a “Webinar” earlier this week that the Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce held for local CEOs, according to SEIU, which recorded Boren’s remarks. The SEIU sends over the video:
In explaining his decision to the CEOs, Boren used some of the “secret ballot” rhetoric employed by the business-backed groups opposing the measure — rhetoric that’s designed to paint it as anti-democratic.
Boren, who voted against the measure in the 110th Congress, told the CEOs: “I will be voting against it again in the 111th. I think the secret ballot is so important — it’s the cornerstone of our democracy.”
But the Employee Free Choice Act’s supporters point out that the measure actually deprives employers of their right to force a vote and allows workers to elect to join a union merely if a majority fills out cards declaring their desire to join.
The SEIU hit Boren hard for favoring CEOs over his hard-working constituents.
“Boren chose to turn his back on the needs of struggling Oklahomans,” SEIU political director Jon Youngdahl said in a statement sent to me. “If the Employee Free Choice Act passes, 900,000 Oklahomans would see a 14% raise -– bringing more than $410,000,000 straight back into the state economy, every year. That’s math even Dan Boren can understand.”
I’m told that the SEIU will follow up next week with an aggressive campaign against Boren. Battle lines are drawn.
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I like how all these ideologues rant and rave about never coming back ever “Fairness Doctrine”, yet refuse to acknowledge that Taft-Hartley is a Fairness Doctrine against Labor. Get rid of it now!!!!
Anyway, boren is an idiot. This comes as no surprise to us Okies that know this coward well.
The problem is that Boren is from Oklahoma. Where the rhetoric of idiots like Inhofe and Coburn (though he has occasional moments of lucidity) in the Senate seem to define what ever other politician from the state feels
obliged to follow. On the other hand, it’s well known that Oklahoma is a “non-union” state for the most part, so no surprise…(that’s why it’s so comforting the Dems have a 77 vote margin in the House).
my feeling is that labor is hitting boren more as a warning shot to others who might be considering breaking ranks…
I work for an airline mechanic company. Maybe i don’t want to join a union? Maybe I don’t want to sign the union card to push for a vote??
Why can’t I do that in private? Isn’t that the cornerstone of democracy? The ability to cast a vote in private.
The Employee Free Choice Act is a sham. Just like its name. “Free Choice”??? give me a break bro.
The Blue Dogs have overreached; a bit drunk with their own power and self-importance, I’d say. The backlash is beginning….
Buddy, you don’t wanna join a union, EFCA isn’t gonna force you into one; so what the **** is your problem? And then you ask what if you want to do it in private; either you wanna join the union or you don’t
Yeah, because unions have never employed strongarm or intimidation tactics, ever! Jimmy Hoffa is just a myth and unicorns are available for purchase on the White House lawn!
I’ve seen the tactics of union strongarms first hand, even in shops that are already union. “Why weren’t you at the meeting today? Why didn’t you come to rally? We’ll keep your absence in mind in the future.”
If most of the employees want a union, it will win in a private vote. If they don’t a non-private vote means intimidation, strongarm tactics and retaliation.
Another point: Where will employers get that extra 14% in salaries for raises? Selling unicorns? Nope, they’ll have to shrink staff/freeze hiring/freeze growth. They may even just throw up their hands and close their doors! Do you really think businesses will just reduce manager incomes and company profits, which would be a travesty for their investors/stockholders?
Run radio ads, TV spots and letters to local papers. Show that Boren is NOT telling the truth about EFCA. Challenge him to support his vote with facts, not talking points. Give him a graceful way to change his views, and praise him highly if he does. And at the DCCC, make it very clear that anyone who thinks they can vote against EFCA will not be receiving DCCC funds for 2010.
Remind yourself of that “privacy” you covet when you’re in your supervisor’s office and he’s suggesting who and what you should support.
I would point out simply that the steady erosion of the American middle class, if plotted visually on a graph, dovetails almost perfectly with the steady decline of organized labor, particularly since the Reagan years. Coincidence, or cause and effect? Not sure, but I’d guess the latter.
If most of the employees want a union, it will win in a private vote.
Seriously? You do know that management forces such votes so that it can run massive intimidation campaigns and fire union activists, right? My guess is that you don’t care, because you think unions are bad things, but that doesn’t excuse being actively misleading.
Under the current system employers “strong-arm” and intimidate the employees leading up to the election. Kind of a third-world democracy where the current leaders terrorize the populace as they walk into the voting booth.
This is not addressed to the many hard working men and women wo carry the tradition of standing up for each other for worker’s rights when negotiating contracts with companies…
My gripe is for those blind union hacks who suck at the teat of Obama –
The amusing thing to see when the “Big Three” flew into DC on their private jets for their 1st bailout $$ was that dirtbag from the UAW sitting next to them – because he knew (and the UAW knows) that their gravy train can end at any time…
Those of you who favor card check realize you will have to give a lot before people will be more sympathetic and this economy turns around. Such as identifying and dumping all of the dead weight that you constantly promote through your ranks. Such as eliminating the inherent laziness that crushes ambition of others from within the union. Such as not restricting rewards for those who do work hard and test well for apprenticeship programs though will never have the opportunity because of liberal policies of the union leadership – that hurt the rest of those hard working laborers.
Demonstrate to the rest of America that you too are are willing to reform, become leaner and meaner – by not tolerating or promoting incompetance – and dumping those poor performers – and crush corruption in your leadership.
Union activism is a fine thing – as long as those who are activists also lead by showing others the meaning of doing their jobs well.
If you are concerned about management forcing a vote to fire union activists – do you think the management would tread more carefully around a union which – top to bottom – is composed of extremely hard working men and women, or would they tread more carefully around a union that protects a lot of dead weight? In this economy – you should be thankful that you have a job. If some companies were smart – stockholders would have revolted – CEOs would be fired – and bankruptcy would be pursued with the goal to dump any and all obligations to former contracts.
Giving union members to freedom to vote anonymously is no different that how this country holds elections. If you are unwilling to do it – then many more of us will start buying products that are not “union made” (eg Honda and Toyota) because that is what competition is all about. The products are comparable, as good for the $$, made by American hands wo ‘have jobs’.
You can make the choice willingly – or have the decision forced upon you when all 3 (not just GM) decide that bankruptcy is the best way to break the unions apart. Then you can go cry to Chavez for a bailout – because I’ll be damned to be paying your mortgage.
Can someone please explain to me how in August 2001, George Miller, the same sponsor of EFCA, asked that the Mexican government use the secret ballot in all union recognition elections. However, in the U.S. the same legislator is leading the effort to eliminate them altogether. Please explain this in a coherent fashion.
OK state motto “Labor Conquers All Things”
Yaa know JT…for youto make a state that Rep. Millerwant to eliminate the secret ballot all together is just a lie. It demonstrates, if you believe this to be true, how limited your news spectrum is. I would guess your not a Supporter of President Uribe. Last fall U.S. Rep. George Miller urged Uribe to improve investigations and prosecutions of murdered labor leaders
“In a detailed fifteen-page letter sent last week to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, Representative George Miller (D-CA) urged Uribe to take action to improve investigation and prosecution for the murders of nearly 2,700 labor union leaders in his country since 1986. The vast majority of these murders remain uninvestigated by the Attorney General’s office. In addition, Miller outlines how Mr. Uribe can build a transparent and sustainable system of justice to combat anti-labor violence and bring Colombian labor laws up to ILO standards. ”
Just wondering when the last time a GOP Rep. wrote to the Lefty leader of a South American country concerning political assassinations? There is NO double standard for Rep. Miller.
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The crack-up is that Congress doesn’t vote with a secret ballot! We will all know Boren’s vote because they don’t vote with a secret ballot! So how can secret ballots be the “cornerstone of democracy”???
The secret ballot is the protection of the PEOPLE, not the powerful! The propaganda of the GOP is so prevalent that we now have a representative of us Serfs spouting off the baloney of the Lords&Ladies! Gosh, Mr. Boren has really, really BAD critical thinking skills. And he’s a horrible representative of the people.
[re: Boren, who voted against the measure in the 110th Congress, told the CEOs: “I will be voting against it again in the 111th. I think the secret ballot is so important — it’s the cornerstone of our democracy.”]
This is the most bass-ackward comments imaginable:
PastorJon | March 6th, 2009 at 04:13 pm
Yeah, because unions have never employed strongarm or intimidation tactics, ever! [...] I’ve seen the tactics of union strongarms first hand, even in shops that are already union. [...]
If most of the employees want a union, it will win in a private vote.”
So… management good/laborers bad, Pastor Jon? You’re okay with CEO’s making so much in bonuses that laborers are losing their jobs these days?
Wow, so much for Pastor Jon ignoring Jesus and campaigning for Greed!!!
It’s a very sad state of affairs for the poor, when the religious are in the pockets of the wealthy.
I think everyone should have the right to cast their vote in private. I do not see this as a red/blue issue – it’s a privacy issue. I’ve been in Unions (one good, one bad) and also worked where there was no Union. I’m not debating if they are good or bad, some are, some aren’t – same with companies.. .but, I should be able to cast my vote in privat.
I see most of you don’t understand how a secret ballot works. You see you must mark the box and stuff it in the envelope ……… then that envelope is put into another envlope with your name on it …. soooo it can be checked against the records to see if your eligible to vote in the election and your not some bogus employee. So where is all this secrecy??? Being a Union Election Judge I see it all… with your name on the envelope in the ” so called secret election”. Guess what… the Employer has the right to request the names also to prove and verify that it is their employees who signed cards to form a Union…. Otherwise how would you know who is eligible to vote???? When I voted in the last Presidential Election .. I marked my SECRET BALLOT … then stuffed it into a secrecy folder… then put it into a big white envelop with my name and adress printed on it. I stuck it in the mail and off it went to the elections commission for anyone who wanted to see how I voted could do so.
Time for a PRIMARY challenge! We had our chance in CD-2 by electing a true progressive, Kaylyn Free, and we settled on Boren. You get what you vote for. He voted against the “Lilly Ledbetter Act” as well. He works for management.
What is so great about a union? Was it great for the auto-workers union to demand a medium salary of $72 an hour? Why do you think GM does not make money and went bankrupt? Does that big pay sound so great when you eventually lose your job due to the fact that your company did not make any money? Why don’t we just socialize everything and we can all work for the government! That would be so great, I always wanted to be a government employee!
Listen, why do you think that a non-union state like Oklahoma was named by Forbes to be the most recession proof state?
The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax.
This is a bit off topic but do you know a good place to get flushable dog waste bags? I heard they are the best thing for our environment.