Now that the Employee Free Choice Act has been introduced in both houses of Congress yet again, the Republicans are getting pretty desperate. In trying to defeat it, the enemies of an American middle-class are resorting to their same old tactics. LYING. What else can be expected from a party that has become completey devoid of any original ideas to move our country foward?? I mean in the six years they controlled all three branches of government, they completely crashed our economy, wasted over a trillion dollars, and waged constant war on working Americans that aspire to join the middle-class through their labors.
So, how do they try to oppose this common sense legislation that would help workers achieve better wages and benefits?? As we have come to expect, they completely lie through their teeth and try to indoctrinate the very people this bill would help to oppose their own interests in favor of the greediest and least patriotic among us, who just so happen to be the party of no ideas biggest supporters.
Their "leader" in the Senate is Mitch McConnell. McConnell has made a long career of opposing the middle-class and lying through his teeth to defeat any kind of Progressive hope for workers in this country. After rubber-stamping the wasteful policies of the worst President in American history, he is throwing hissie fit after hissie fit to see that the working poor might actually have some money thrown their way.
And he is flat out lying to them about the Employee Free Choice Act:
"To put it simply, the Employee ‘No Choice’ Act is undemocratic. To approve it would be to subvert the right to bargain freely over working terms and conditions. It would also strip members of a newly recognized union of their right to accept or reject a contract. In addition, this bill ushers in a new scheme of penalties which are anti-worker and which apply only to employers and not unions.
http://mcconnell.senate.gov/...
And his hollow arguments are echoed by Republican House "leader" John Boehner:
The aim of the so-called "Employee Free Choice Act" (EFCA) is to dramatically expand union membership through coercion and other questionable tactics by eliminating the secret ballot and replacing it with a system of "card checks." It would allow unions to intimidate workers by pressuring them to sign a card stating that they want to join a union. Workers would never have the option of voting against union membership, and millions of workers could be forced into a union without even getting the chance to vote on the matter.
http://republicanleader.house.gov/...
Now, there is so much wrong in just these two paragraphs, one has a hard time finding where to begin. One thing I have learned in my life is that if the truth is on your side you need not lie. Of course that is why the Republicans and their corporate enablers are lining up to lie through their teeth. The truth is not on their side.
First you have the argument that this Act will kill the secret ballot in the workplace and is un-Democratic. The truth is far from so. The Employee Free Choice Act does not eliminate secret ballots. It levels the playing field for workers by letting them, not the companies they work for choose whether a secret ballot election is held. If the majority of workers that have signed the cards don't wish to go through months of company propoganda, they don't have to. They can choose whether they want a secret ballot, or if they want to allow the signing of the cards to stand for their vote. This allows them to bypass the corruption and union busting tactics employers use.
As far as intimidation goes, it is the company that intimidates workers in the modern unionizing effort. Workers that have already expressed their desire to bargain collectively are forced to wait for a secret ballot. During this time, the company uses threats, and forces them to sit through hours and hours of anti-union propoganda. Since the companies are provided with a list of workers who have signed cards, they cut hours to starve out those workers and their families and force them to find other jobs. They also go through and find other reasons to fire workers who have signed cards so they will not be there when the vote is finally held.
On the other hand, no worker is forced to sign a card or to go to a union hall and listen to arguments for collective bargaining. If any worker is intimidated by a union, or a union organizer they not only have redress through the law, but can complain to the company and have the organizer who is threatening them fired. The fact of the matter is that the workers seek out the union, and volunteer their free time to help in organizing it.
The Employee Free Choice Act does just what it says. It give Employees, not companies free choice in deciding whether a secret ballot is needed. If the employees don't wish to go through months of intimidation, propoganda and lies they don't have to. They can sign a majority of cards and automatically have their rights to bargain collectively recognized.
In these times with the economy suffering we need the Employee Free Choice Act more than ever. Contrary to what the opponents of an American middle-class will try to tell you, when more workers are unionized they make higher wages and greater benefits. This means that more Americans aren't living paycheck to paycheck and actually have disposable income to pump into the economy and increase their standard of living.
Which is just why this bill is meeting so much opposition from the greediest and least patriotic among us. The fatcats of big business are used to their lavish lifestyles, and look upon those of us who do actual work with scorn. They think they should be the only ones who are afforded the luxuries our labors produce. They attempt to roll back the enlightenment by insuring and ownership class, and relegating workers to serfdom.
For millions of workers who have seen their wages stagnate, this bill is the greatest chance to level the playing field in generations. America desperately needs a new Enlightenment to strengthen the middle-class and raise millions of hard working men and women from poverty or just above it. Once again, hard work should be valued as much as wealth in this country and workers should be able to share in the properity they help create.
For those of you with Democrats or moderate Republicans representing you in the House and Senate, PLEASE contact them and let them know that you support an American middle-class and you expect them to do the same. We need to let bluedogs in our own party to know that if they stab the American worker in the back that we will not send them one red penney for their re-election and indeed will try to primary them, and support candidates that support a middle-class.
We all see how the policies that horde all the money to the very top have worked out for our country. Big business had their chance to have it all their own way and failed all of us miserably. They will not give up their lavish lifestyles easily, and will fight to keep American workers from sharing in the wealth that their labors make possible. It is far past time to level the playing field.