Joe The Plumber Enlisted To Campaign Against Employee Free Choice Act
Joe the Plumber is hitting the campaign trail again! He’s been pressed into service to do a series of events throughout Pennsylvania rallying opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act, the organizer of the events confirms.
Mr. Plumber will speak at rallies against the measure in Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia on March 30th and 31st, according to a spokesperson for the anti-EFCA group Americans for Prosperity.
“The public loves Joe the Plumber,” the spokesperson, Mary Ellen Burke, claimed to me. “They see him as a role model.”
Asked whether Joe the Plumber had any particular knowledge or expertise about EFCA that might explain the decision to enlist him, Burke said that he was being enlisted to provide a “grassroots perspective” and “the working perspective” on the measure.
Pressed on whether Joe the Plumber has any particular claim to being a spokesperson on the issue, Burke replied that “he represents the American worker.”
Burke couldn’t immediately say whether Joe the Plumber was being paid for his appearances.
Update: AFL-CIO spokesman Eddie Vale emails a response:
This perfectly illustrates what is happening on the ground in thestates. Millions of actual workers are making their voices heard in support of the Employee Free Choice Act. On the other side the business front groups are relegated to trying to gin up faux grassroots support — and possibly even needing to pay people to do it.
The homepage of this blog is here. RSS feed here. Twitter feed here. Email me here.
oh Teh Stupid. make it stop please!
Really? The hapless, slow-witted leftover from the McCain debacle a “role model”? For what? Backsliding, incompetence and parasitic showboating? Wow, the GOP just keeps bringin’ the stoopid! So Joe (whose name isn’t Joe) the tax-cheating non-plumber/non-reporter wingnut ‘celebrity’ is the new face of EFCA resistance? Well, I feel a bit better about the bills chances of passage now! Fifteen *seconds* of fame was fifteen too many for this goof. A bit OT, I wonder who’s paying all of “Joe T. Plumber’s” bills these days?
JTP is going to get his arse handed to him in those towns. Don’t they realize how big unions are in Pittsburgh and Philly? They might have to bring security for that mofo.
Hide your wimmin folk, he’ll be horny.
My brain still can’t get over the idea that the Publican party thinks having JtP as their spokesperson is a good electoral strategy. For a long while I thought “these guys won too frequently in my lifetime, and have controlled the language of the debate for the better part of 40 years, surely they cannot be this stupid”.
After Katon Dawson, Steele, Palin, JtP, Bunning, Larry Craig, Dubya and the hundreds of other crazy examples in the past 12 months, at some point I am going to have to deal with the reality that the current Publican party is really nothing much more than a large troupe of clowns.
but AJax – Rangel, Dodd, Pelosi, Reid – the same can be said of the current lot of Dems –
Benton: Tax Cheat? HA -lets start listing the list of tax cheats in government on BOTH sides of the aisle – man you are a hater. I guess it’s only not a problem when it’s one of Obama’s appointees.
I don’t blame Joe for cashing in, I would – wouldn’t you? Not a bad gig if you can get it. Bet it pays better than plumbing… although last time I had a plumber out… ouch.
Back off, kenyg — you know not the first thing about me or what I believe, and I find your rude presumptuousness arrogant and insulting. It doesn’t surprise me in the least that you admire the tax-cheating non-plumber’s vacuous “sponging” lifestyle.
Benton –
No, I will not back off. You take a step back and take a look. Just because someone is of your party affiliation does not make them right. If they are in the other party, they are not automatically wrong.
I see a lot of the pot calling the kettle black. I back what is right. I hate double standards – and you’re promoting one.
Yes – like i admire our tax-cheating Treasury Secretary. But that’s different isn’t it.?
So, uh
Just checking
What percentage of plumbers are unionized
keny, isn’t there a Freeper board somewhere awaiting your scintillating insights? I suggest you go regale them. DISMISSED.
Freeper? What you think I’m a republican? STFU.
Joe the Plumber Now is Joe the Union Buster
http://miami.indymedia.org/news/2009/03/12947.php
“The public loves Joe the Plumber,” the spokesperson, Mary Ellen Burke, claimed to me. “They see him as a role model.”
Asked whether Joe the Plumber had any particular knowledge or expertise about EFCA that might explain the decision to enlist him, Burke said that he was being enlisted to provide a “grassroots perspective” and “the working perspective” on the measure.
I’d like to know more about these “rallies” he’ll be addressing. Would they be the local Chamber of Commerce luncheons? I’d love to hear him try and convince actual union members that they’d be better off without the EFCA.
So Joe (real name Sam) the plumber (really just a helper/laborer) is going to speak out against unions? The circus (aka GOP) seems to be trying hard to see how fast they can race to the bottom. Hope the unions (specially plumbers) show up at every talk to protest this so called working man (who seems to be gallivanting around the world instead of working). No way he is the face of the common working man these days. Most of them are actually working if lucky or looking for work if hit by the GOP economy.
Joe TP is awesome.
He speaks for the avg American.
The free choice act is ANYTHING BUT free choice. I know a lot of union members and they want nothing to do with it.
Why would they ???
America is about having a private BALOT>
Go JOE!!!!!!!!!!!
“Joe TP is awesome.
He speaks for the avg American.
The free choice act is ANYTHING BUT free choice. I know a lot of union members and they want nothing to do with it.
Why would they ???
America is about having a private BALOT>”
Jeepers, freepers, you’d think the Chamber of Commerce could get shills that can SPELL, for all the money they’re paying!
Joe the Plumber is hitting the campaign trail again! He’s scheduled to do a series of events throughout Pennsylvania rallying opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act, the organizer of the events confirms.
Defeat the “check card” Employee Free Choice Act
As a former Teamster Local union President I’m against the “check card”
We had planned to use this in the early 1980’s and decided it would not work.
The reason we came to was that the lost of a secret ballot would place employee against employee and management against employee.
We learned this lesson at the 1981 Teamster Convention in Las Vegas, NV.
Roy Williams was running for President of the Teamsters International.
When the secret ballot vote was to be taken the International Executive board did away with the secret ballot and ask everyone who did not want Roy Williams to stand up.
Only a hand full stood up (I wonder why) the local Union Officers that stood up were ordered to give their names and what Local Union they were from. After this violation of the secret ballot the rest of us did not vote (the Executive board said there was no need for the rest of us to vote) and Roy Williams was crowned the President of the Teamsters International.
Please note that Roy Williams was under indictment for trying to bribe a United States Senator.
Several months later Roy Williams went to prison and Jack Presser of the Central conference of Teamsters became the President.
My point– If we were given our secret ballot Roy Williams would not of been elected President of the Teamsters International.
Don’t be fooled, this is about dues $$$ and power for the Unions that would give them a strong lobbying base in Washington.
I ask everyone to contact their Senator and Congressman and ask that they defeat the “check card” Employee Free Choice Act.
The secret ballot must be preserved.
Interesting observation and the first reason I have seen against this law that I would like to address. My understanding is that this law does not stop the unions from using a secret ballot but only adds another option to the voting process. How was the open ballot at the 1981 Teamster Convention introduced. Did the union members decide to vote this way or was it a surprise to the members? How did this open vote come about?
Concerning the power issue. It is my understanding that the anti labor lobbies in Washington far outnumber the union efforts so I am not sure why a stronger lobby would be a negative.
The unions have problems but at least make some efforts to help the average worker. My dad was a union man working for the Bethlehem Steel all his life. He had a small pension and health insurance that saw him and my mother through to there deaths. No worker has that basic security today. There is no corporate accountability and no dignity for the elderly who can no longer work. For better or worse unions are one of the only checks and balances on the workers side.
Joe the plumber is not a plumber, not a union worker and does not represent the average American.
weavz, To answer your question about are right to a secret ballot at the Teamster Convention, The International Executive board stripped us of are right to have a secret ballot. We had no vote at all in are right to have a secret ballot vote or not. Everyone of us were elected local union officers and our local union business agents. I was the President of Local 952, and I was elected by “secret ballot” by the members of Local 952. The secret ballot vote is the right of everyone in any type of election.
weavz, To put it strong from my experiance, the Unions would not use another option. The thug organizers would force the “check card” on a worker, come to their home and use any tatic to get the worker to sign the “check card” This law would put to rest forever the secret ballot vote.
Joe the Plumber–we love you here in Texas–come on down here now you hear!! This is a “right to work” state, our economy is booming–no government deficients here–we’ll throw a couple of illegal aliens back across the border to make run for ya. Now the rest of you yankees stay put–we already got enough you here.
I don’t know Joe the Plumber, but I can tell you if he is the dimwit some on this site say he is why would they be concerned about him busting the union. Having been a member of at least 4 or more unions in my lifetime I can tell you that the unions do not need help in busting themselves. Look at the UAW who have been a major factor in the two bankrupt auto makers in the U.S.A. is a prime example of unions shooting themselves in the foot or cutting off their nose to spite their face just as the Teamsters Union has done under there present and previous leaders or a better name would be MISLEADERS, many who were involved with the Mob. They have gone from the dominating force in the highway transportation industry to having two Corporations basically who’s employees are are represented by the teamsters and now you can add the largest trucking company in the world as well because of card check where close to half was against . The union. Non carriers now dominate the industry and they pay more than the unrepresented union companies. If one would check out the only company to have been forced into the union by card check they just might change their mind on card check. No one should be forced to chose the union or remain non union. I wonder how Americans would feel about having their right to a secret ballot taken from in local state and federal elections. By experience those collective bargaining unions seem to be wrapped up in their own good fortunes rather than being concerned for the rank and file. The problem is so intense among the teamsters that their incompetence has generated the Teamsters for a Democratic Union and it has even been the power behind the organization of new unions such as the APWA who was not permitted to compete with the teamsters at UPS. The unions are nothing more than corporations who are in it for the money, just as the companies who’s employees they are supposed to represent but fail to do so most of the time. In America in this year of 2009 where have all of the champions of freedom gone to.
Look at the issue not the schulb who’s talking – and yes I agree, using JTP is moronic. However that can be said for this bill (HR 1409). I’m appalled that anyone can say taking away an employee’s anonymity leads to free choice.
How is anyone going to not feel pressured to sign a card? Whether is from being hounded by the organizers or feeling the pressure from their coworkers to go along? Part of the process of a secret ballot is that your choice is your own and no one’s concern. You can vote the way you truly feel, not the way that will make life the easiest. It just seems absurd to me to call that free choice. And who’s to say employees will really understand what they’re signing? Organizers could mislead and misrepresent in order to get a signature. An employee could be signing because they think it’s an interest indicator or that they saying they’d like more info. When trying to organize, unions can be, and have been, pretty underhanded in the way they get signatures.
And why does it allow the cards to bring a union in, but not take one out? Why doesn’t it allow for card checks to oust a union as well? If unions are truly out to serve their members then why not allow the members to shutter a union just as easy as starting one if the employees no longer feel well served?
I have worked in several union workplaces – and I have benefited from the collective bargaining power, but I’ve also seen it abused. I got better wages, but also had to put up with lazy, shoddy work from coworkers because they didn’t have to worry about merit increases or promotions. I hate to see unions get the power to slip in under employees’ radar and not let them question the process and purpose of the union.