Minnesota’s Rep. Ellison Takes on Big Business Smears

Barb Kucera, editor of Workday Minnesota, sends a shout out to Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison for standing up to Big Business attacks on his support for the Employee Free Choice Act.  

Rep. Keith Ellison could be spending his campaign funds promoting his record and appealing for more votes in the Nov. 4 election. Instead, he’s standing up for the Employee Free Choice Act, legislation to level the playing field for workers’ seeking to join unions.

Truth to tell, the popular first-term Democratic-Farmer-Labor lawmaker doesn’t need to work hard to win re-election in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, which includes Minneapolis. He hasn’t been resting on his laurels either, as his campaign has focused on registering new voters, reaching out to under-represented communities and building support for other Democrats, such as presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama and Senate candidate Al Franken.

So when Ellison saw the TV commercials, newspaper advertisements and election-related mailings attacking the Employee Free Choice Act, he decided they needed a strong response.

“There comes a time when enough is just enough!” Ellison said at a news conference Monday announcing a new campaign commercial running on Twin Cities radio stations taking on the opponents of the Employee Free Choice Act.

Here’s what Ellison says in the ad:

You’ve probably seen those attack ads claiming some candidates want to take away your right to a secret ballot in union elections. Plain and simple, these are lies paid for by CEOs who negotiate lavish salaries for themselves but don’t want you to be able to bargain for a better life for yourself and your family.

In reality, the Employee Free Choice Act would strengthen your freedom to choose union representation. It protects the right to a secret ballot. It gives workers more ways to bargain together for health care benefits and fair wages. On average, workers who belong to unions earn 30 percent more and are much more likely to have health and pension benefits.

Politicians who support the Employee Free Choice Act, like me, want to provide a fairer way for working men and women to rebuild America’s middle class. I urge you to support candidates who support the Employee Free Choice Act and to reject the lies of those CEOs who want to continue lining their pockets while they keep picking yours.”

(To hear the ad, go to www.keithellison.org and click on the link in the right-hand column under “Broadcasts.”)

Corporations and front groups, such as the so-called Coalition for a Democratic Workplace and the Employee Freedom Action Committee, are spending nearly $100 million to advertise against the Employee Free Choice Act, according to reports by media and watchdog groups. Their TV commercials feature mafia-style “union leaders” in a sorry throwback to mid-20th century caricatures.

Says Bill McCarthy, president of the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation:

The right-wing smear machine would like nothing better than to distract voters from the real issues in this campaign—jobs, health care, the economy. To do so, they’re spreading false charges. The Employee Free Choice Act will help more workers have a voice on the job. It will expand the number of workers who enjoy benefits like health insurance and retirement plans. The Employee Free Choice Act is all about empowering workers. That’s why you’re now hearing more about it from the opposition.

Indeed, the Employee Free Choice Act stands a good chance of passage in the next Congress if Obama is elected president and Democrats improve their numbers in the U.S. House and Senate.

The Employee Free Choice Act would reform the nation’s basic labor laws by requiring employers to recognize a union after a majority of workers sign cards authorizing union representation. It also would provide mediation and arbitration for first-contract disputes and establish stronger penalties for violation of the rights of workers seeking to form unions or negotiate first contracts.

The proposed legislation would not take away workers’ right to a secret ballot. Rather, it would give workers the choice of using a secret ballot or a “majority sign-up” of union cards to decide the issue of representation.

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Paid for by the AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education Political Contributions Committee, www.aflcio.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

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