ME-Sen: Allen, others, targeted by anti-union Richard Berman group

Not satisfied with simply lying that the Employee Free Choice Act takes away workers rights to a secret vote (it does not, as I have noted here: Employees have the right to request a secret-ballot vote if their employer recognizes a union based on union authorization cards.  Under the NLRB's ruling in Dana Corp., 351 N.L.R.B. No. 28 (2007), employees can file a petition for decertification with the NLRB to obtain a secret-ballot election, provided that the petition for decertification is filed within 45 days after the employees are publicly notified of the "recognition" of the union.), an anti-union group from away, Employee Freedom.org, has begun running a radio spot here in Maine that compares labor unions to the Mafia.

The transcript below the fold:

Man's Voice

Since 2001, one group has been involved in embezzlement and racketeering, and been the target of more than 2000 criminal investigations, and 600 indictments. Now the same group is planning to expand its power base. Who has this record of corruption and embezzlement? Organized Crime? No. It's organized labor.

Woman's voice

Today labor bosses have a new scheme to target you and your money. They want to change the law to make it easier to pressure you into joining their union. Under their plan, you will lose your right to a private vote. Instead of being able to make your choice about joining a union using a private ballot, union bosses can come to your home to pressure you to make a binding decision to pay dues.

Incredibly, they say this is a better process than a private vote.

Tell Tom Allen to stop supporting union schemes to take away private votes at EmployeeFreedom.org.

Paid for by the Employee Freedom action committee.

As I've noted before, the SCOTUS ruled that card check, in which an employer must recognize a union if 50% plus one employees have signed a union card, was declared constitutional in 1969 (a secret vote or an effective strike are the other two). Furthermore, it is currently the employer that has a right to demand a secret-ballot vote, not employees.

The EFCA removes the right of the employer to demand a vote, and gives employees that oppose the formation of a union 45 days, as noted above, to collect signatures of just 30% of the workforce to demand a secret-ballot vote.

The reason that anti-union groups are so vociferously opposed to the EFCA is that it eliminates one way by which management can pressure employees to oppose union organizing.

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Tom Allen is not the only candidate being targeted by this group, the Employee Freedom Action Committee, a front organization of noted union hater Richard Berman. Jeanne Shaheen (NH) and Jeff Merkley (Oregon) have also come under fire, and there likely will be more.

But what is important is that both Allen and Susan Collins have both come out opposing such advertising by outside groups.

In a prepared statement, Carol Andrews, Press Spokeswoman for the Allen campaign, had this to say:

"We believe this ad has no place in this campaign, and we denounce it. To accuse hard-working Mainers of being aligned with organized crime and to suggest Congressman Allen is protective of organized crime is not only false and negative, but personally destructive," said Carol Andrews, Allen Campaign communications director.

"From Day One, Tom Allen has focused our campaign on a discussion of the big issues facing Mainers - fuel and food costs, the war in Iraq, the economy and our health care crisis. Tom Allen has made it clear that our campaign for change has no place for the kind of politics being waged on Maine's radio airwaves today.

"There is too much at stake to allow third parties to disrupt this discussion with negative attacks against either candidate. Today we once again ask Susan Collins to join us in denouncing radio and tv ads by third parties such as Employee Freedom and its affiliates who name or reference either candidate in negative communications," Andrews said.

Allen's campaign has also issued this fact check regarding the claims made by Employee Freedom.org; see here (pdf warning).

I have contacted the Collins campaign for their take, and as of yet have not heard a reply. Kevin Kelley, spokesman, had this to say:

Senator Collins has denounced third party ads from special interest groups, and has always maintained that they should have no place in Maine politics.

I note that he didn't say she was calling for the group to pull the ad.