Union Unleashes Brutal Video Tying Anti-EFCA Blue Dog Dem To Dead Worker
This is some rough stuff. The SEIU has just launched a hard-hitting Web video that ties Blue Dog Democrat Dan Boren to the horrific death of a worker in his home state, yet another sign that the battle over the Employee Free Choice Act is shaping up as a no-holds-barred free-for-all.
The video — an effort to make Boren pay a political price in his home state for his recent declaration that he’ll vote against EFCA — dramatizes the plight of a father of four who, according to the video, worked at an industrial laundry and was dragged into a heavy duty dryer, where he was violently tossed around for 20 minutes and eventually died:
The video, which was made with Brave New Films and will be blasted to the media later this morning, argues that if the facility been unionized — which would be easier under EFCA — the workers would have had better safety and health protections, perhaps preventing the worker’s death.
The vid accuses Boren of supporting companies like the one employing the dead workers in its efforts to prevent unionization. “Tell Dan Boren to stop risking workers’ lives, and to support Employee Free Choice,” it concludes.
The video targeting Boren, the only Dem to declare that he’ll vote against EFCA this year, is designed to demonstrate the sort of political price those who oppose EFCA might pay. It’s also an effort to humanize the stakes of the EFCA fight and shift the debate away from an argument over the “secret ballot” provision and towards a more fundamental one over worker safety and quality of life.
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Wow. Thats what you call refocusing the debate. Instead of secret ballots now you are thinking about unsafe working conditions and people dying because of it. BNF is a beast and they always put out thought provoking videos but this is some of their best work. I wonder what Boren’s response will be. If he is smart he just won’t say anything.
Greg
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FYI http://www.gallup.com/poll/116863/Majority-Receptive-Law-Making-Union-Organizing-Easier.aspx
We need to kick the blue dogs back into the republican party where they belong and elect real progressives.
You can’t simply replace a Blue Dog with a more progressive candidate because they will not get elected in their district. They are only elected there because they are Blue Dogs, and if the Dems didn’t sun such a candidate, then the seat would very likely go Republican. Blue Dogs vote with the Dems on some issues, whereas the Republicans we’d get from those districts would never vote with the Dems.
Actually Boren is from Oklahoma where the majority of voters are Democratic. The state of Oklahoma will support this and Boren will be lucky to get re elected after this fight is over. The Blue Dogs need to stay on the porch or be tied to the Republicans. At 28% approval for the republicans? Boren should be concerned about who he is tying his coat tails too. I live in this state and will be knocking on doors to help remove him.
I agree with Didi, the people of that state elects the best representative for that state, not for the democratic party. With out the blue dogs and the conservative’s that voted for Obama there would be no Dem’s in control right now. Watch out on biting the hands that got the party into power.
Many of us “blue dogs” or fed up conservatives voted for Obama in the hopes that we would be able to work together to solve our problems.
My greatest fear was that Obama could not control or convince the democratic party leaders to behave. Now the dems have created a “secret” group (see Carvel) that will punish members of their own party, for expressing their beliefs? This appears to be an attempt to take over the other state’s freedom of electing who they want. This will not go over well with people who actually think we live in a free society.
Mrs. G.
laureenGreenwood
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Hmmm I wonder what you think about all of the groups like “Americans For Growth” who threatened to primary any Republican that voted for the stimulus or “Focus on the Family” that threatened to “score” Republicans who voted to confirm pro choice cabinet level nominees? Trust me if you want to look for attempts to quell free speech you need look no further than the Republican Party and all their various interest groups.
I think the simple issue is: Big business got us into this economic mess and now Big business is opposed to the EFCA. Who would you trust?
Obviously this is a rather crude and simplistic way of discussing this topic but this film although effective is taking a pretty think line in order to paint its critics. The question of Congressmen Boren is really what is he doing in his district to improve the long-term growth and health of his community and its constituents. So here is an idea (not aimed at you Greg) but why can we not get a reporter to go door to door and ask the constituents what they think. I don’t need to read about it nationally but maybe that would be helpful for the people in this community.
It is a truly sad story that is depicted in this film and my sympathies go out to the gentleman’s family. Our working conditions can still be improved and the diligent work of the unions over the last century is largely responsible for these gains.
I am not convinced that having a union would have prevented the death. Also, the video only shows Born mentioning the “legislation”, but not specifically identifying the particular one. However, it is a very sad and tragic case. I pray that company has made modifications to prevent such tragic events.
Abby — you’d better pray, because without a union, prayer is your onlyl hope that companies like Cintas will play by the rules. Studies of OSHA enforcement have consistently shown that companies with unions are far more likely to comply with the law (and face inspections). A recurrent problem for these agencies is that they’re understaffed.
The biggest misconception about unions is that their main role in the U.S. is to raise wages. The bigger, sadder truth, is that in many industries, a union presence is necessary just to make sure that the laws are enforced. After decades of Republican rule, wage-and-hour laws, OSHA and the National Labor Relations Act are essentially not enforced outside of large, unionized workplaces. We can’t say for certain that unionization would have prevented this death — but we do know that companies tend to obey the law more when a union is present.
Sorry, but I think prayer isn’t much of an alternative.
This should not be about the left or right, but what is good for the American economy and the middle class. Over 60 million workers would form a union with their coworkers ,if the playing field was level. The current process puts the boss in control raher than giving a worker a private vote, rather than being harassed or intimidated by hired union busters. The CEOs have contracts, which we all have heard about, why shouldn’t workers? When workers form their union they get a voice at the table concerning wages,benefits, health & safety. A union job can bring better wages, more likely to have negotiated helthecare, and retirement/pension plans. Passage of the Employee Free Choice Act would be a great way to getting our economy back in the right direction. When America is working ..we are spending. The middle class is the consumer base.
I love this kind of hardball. It’s long overdue. More, please.
Well done, but not hard-hitting enough.
It’s time to draw some lines in the sand:
if you are anti EFCA you are anti-union
if you are anti-union you are anti-worker
workers don’t need capitalist politicians telling them what is best for them and their families. It’s time for workers to take charge of their own collective destinies and give these clowns the BOOT.
For a Labor Party 2012!!
In my outraged heart Dan Boren is DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATH OF THIS WORKER, and many more will die if this imbecile so called democrat is not removed from office. With democrats like him who needs republicans? The entire worker population of Tulsa should go up in arms and stop working for one day to force this man to change his mind or to resign from his post. You people do not understand that that is the only way; that is the way Spain changed a lier government; that is the way in France the workers make the politicians listen to their needs.
If the rights of duly elected officials within a party are protected by virtue of such elections but they consistently support the opposing party, then those “wolves in sheeps’ clothing” hypocrites should be isolated, quarantined and shunned by their party-in-name-only, until they get the message to change parties. Keeping them on because they supposedly add numbers for the party’s power base is questionable since they vote like opposing party members anyway. Better to allow the public to know who they really are and what they really stand for.
Actually, most Oklahomans are Republicans and it is one of the reddest states in the nation. We were Democratic until the Republicans tied themselves with the lunatic religious/conservative fringe on the right. Now all common sense has flown out the window in this state.
We desperately need unions here is Oklahoma. Our state legislation has now gotten a Republican stronghold and anti-unionism is rampant. Cintas is known for its intimidation of workers and has promised to fire anyone who even spoke with a union rep. They are a scourge on this state.
David: Taking chairmanship of the committees and leadership of a chamber is a HUGE advantage. Even if some of the caucus doesn’t vote with the party even once, they provide the power to allow democrats control of the chamber.
In the house, dems have a huge advantage. Every single GOPper can vote against a bill and the dems still have leeway to allow a dozen blue dogs (or lefties making a symbolic stand) cross the line and STILL pass any legislation they want with a 50+ margin.
From a strategic standpoint, it doesn’t make sense to force party loyalty if a politician would make the constituents happy by casting a vote that is literally meaningless. That said, getting vocal OPPOSING something like unions provides a very visible target without much institutional support. By attacking the blue-dog, the SEIU creates a challenge for the GOPpers … striking back against the unions means they are expending much-needed funds essentially to protect a democrat.
Don’t get too pissed at the house blue dogs. They serve a helpful role and can’t actually derail anything (every blue dog + every republican < the rest of the democrats). It’s kind of GOPpish to demand absolute loyalty anyhow.
Would anyone here like the secret ballot to go away at election time? How about we all raise our hands to elect the people we want, in front of our neighbors, where our vote not only counts but is visibly obvious? The secret ballot is passe, and needs to be eliminated in the name of efficiency and visibility in government.
EFCA allows the loser (the union or the employer) to know who was against them, and to retaliate. And if you don’t think the loser is capable of retaliation, think again.
And for those who think this thing is anything other than a red herring, think again again. The union almost certainly would not have helped this man. After all, the SEIU has a $1000 death benefit for workers killed on the job, and why would such a benefit exist at all if the SEIU were capable of preventing death on the job?
First off Tulsa is not in Boren’s district.
Second…SEIU is not even in Oklahoma.
What a buch of morons
Tulsa is right next to Boren’s district and Cintas is a major OK employer he has supported.
If you are on the NRA board and join with the crackpot Paul Broun to oppose an assault weapons ban, and you announce before the session begins that you’re opposing EFCA AGAIN, and you did not support Obama because “he’s the most liberal member of the Senate,” and you vote to eviscerate the Endangered Species Act, and you are one of the LCV’s worst 12 representatives on environmental issues, and you want to keep Gitmo open, and you don’t want to draw down troops in Iraq, you are a damn Republican.
Don’t even try to suggest that a “secret ballot” after months of intimidation and captive audience presentations on the horrors that will result if you exercise your right to organize is any kind of a fair ballot. The employer has been “capable of retaliation” before a vote ever takes place for decades.
The SEIU may have a death benefit because it cannot prevent ALL deaths on the job; that does not mean SEIU-negotiated protections cannot prevent SOME deaths on the job.
People with Dan Boren’s politics have run our country into a ditch AGAIN and it’s time for them to get out of the way while we fix the disaster they wrought.
Well, I live in Boren’s district, and I will say in the last election our state, unfortunately, went more RED than any other state in the Union. Boren takes stands that are FAR too conservative for my taste. I think its time to educate folks in Oklahoma because IGNORANCE is what has led to people supporting management and big business over unions. The pendulum has swung WAYYYY over to management’s side and they have taken advantage of it. Its time to give worker’s rights and have the pendulum swing back. If anyone follows Oklahoma politics, the last election was a blood bath for Democrats and Republicans run both houses of our state congress. Of course, Republicans are mismanaging everything but its a matter of education and getting people to believe what they EXPERIENCE rather than what their right wing conservative Republican preacher tells them to believe (and how to vote) on Sunday. The right wing churches around here are just tax exempt PACs for the Republican Party.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v246/mistymountainhop/EFCA.jpg
Current NLRB regulations allow a union to be ousted by simple majority “card check”…No secret ballot…No election at all is needed to get rid of a union.
Why can’t we join a union the same way.
http://washlaborwire.com/2008/12/02/nlrb-general-counsel-issues-guidelines-on-employer-withdrawal-of-recognition/
The interesting thing about all the opposition to EFCA in Oklahoma is that the OK Muncipal Employees Collective Bargaining Act includes card-check. In fact, 6 groups of City Workers in Oklahoma used it to get a Union.
The opposition has just plain lied about the “removal of the secret ballot” because, in fact, the EFCA does NOT eliminate the secret ballot. It simply allows for recognition of the union if a majority of the workers sign authorization cards. If they don’t get 50% plus 1 on cards there is a secret ballot election. This is actually a higher standard because of the example below:
There are 100 workers at company X. Under the current law, if 30 of them sign cards, the NLRB will set an election date and the company will conduct a massive campaign against the workers. If 25 workers show up to vote, as long as 13 of them vote for having a Union. they get a Union. There is no minimum threshold for voter participation.
With Card Check, 50 plus 1 workers have to sign cards that say “I want a union and I want it to be Union ______.
It is counter-intuitive to think that, in right-to-work states, the Union “thugs” would engage in tactics that would turn people off. Even if they did so and they won the election, none of the workers would join the Union and pay dues, which is the alleged reason that Unions exist, not to “win” elections. Think, people.
I worked for a large defense contractor, I was in the IAM, part of the AFL/CFO. I was threatened with termination for reporting/making an issue of willful violation of safety regs. They considered it a laughing matter to blow carcinogenic dust (boron) in the air when their own paperwork called for a HEPA vac. No bag in the vac. ha-ha.
The threats stopped and the 5.00 bag got installed in the vac after I said one word: “Commiteeman please”.
Ken is right, they are lying/spinning this thing to the benefit of those in power. With the current crunch, workers are being leaned on like never before, there’s nowhere for them to go.
Useful blog post definitely a good contribution to the web.
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