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Anti-Union Rep Admits His Group Opposes Majority Rule |
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The vice president for one of the nation’s most anti-union, anti-worker organizations showed what we knew all along: Those fighting workers and their unions oppose the democratic process.
During a hearing yesterday on a House bill to expand bargaining rights for the police and firefighters, Rep. Phil Hare (D-Ill.) exposed the myths and lies spun by the Big Brother-named National Right to Work Committee.
Doug Stafford, the group’s vice president, attempted to portray the bill as forcing “monopoly bargaining on every police and firefighter.”
Hare, a former president of and steward for his union, would have none of it.
The bill provides unions only will be established in places where a majority of officers and firefighters choose to form one, is that correct?
Stafford:
I believe that’s true, however….
Hare:
Can you point to anywhere in this bill that would force this union into existence against the wishes of majority?
Stafford:
Against the majority, no, but what about the other 49 percent?
Hare:
All of us are elected here by majority. I would assume, that wouldn’t be the majority rule? I mean if the majority of these folks want [a union], you’d find a problem with that?
Stafford:
Yes.
Case closed.
6 Comments
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So, if a majority of the employees in a bargaining unit don’t want a union and don’t want any of their fellow employees to belong to a union, the majority should be able to vote to make union membership grounds for refusing to hire someone and a firing offense?
Oh wait, that would be illegal under federal law and the laws of all 50 states.
Does the AFL-CIO favor changing federal and state labor laws to permit an anti-union majority of employees to vote to make union nonmembership a condition of employment?
If not, you aren’t in favor of “majority rule,” as you tendentiously characterize it, yourselves, and you and Congressman Hare should drop the pretense that you are.
Stan Greer
National Right to Work Committee
National Institute for Labor Relations Research
Springfield, Va.
Stan, you can talk all around this one, but the bottom line is shown on the video clip: NRTW opposes democratic majority rule.
If I am correct if a majority does not want a union and it is a union shop then they can file a petition with the N.L.R.B. to have a union decertified. I don’t know what Stan is talking about.
The idea that card check (used literally 100’s of times in 100’s of situations) is somehow “anti democratic” is a moronic falsehood. The idea that card check would suddenly start bullying to make people vote in someway, is comicly paradoxical considering that it would in fact reverse that current trend in the work place today.
And by the way…Although I’m 101% behind EFCA and no one can change my mind, the opinion of a corporate lobby group (or “institute”) holds 0% wait with myself, and conservatives I know personally.
Frankly, the doom and gloom idea about mafia dons forcing us all to vote a certain way:
-Obvious scare tactic/baseless
-Second, I’m reading a mafia related book, the fact is the unions held power over organised crime (corporate and mafia) not the reverse.
-Third, what’s the difference between that and hearing “we’ll ship your jobs to Mexico”, or forcing people to watch something under penalty of job loss (seems communist U.S.S.R. to me…)
-The only situation were union members aren’t better off than there scab counter parts is when the rank and file just sit complacent and assume that the reps. and lawyers can read minds or know what’s best, or care to do what’s best without motivation.
-Forth, No one has to join AFL-CIO if they don’t want to. They can choose any number of unions that will help to organise there workplace. Many like:
-United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America
-Industrial Workers of the World
are purely Rank and File.
Either way, one look at the lives of Scab*Mart workers (and their customers) shows what will happen to all of us if we don’t cut the bull, and pass the legislation that would get us all real healthcare anyway, instead of this delay fest were on right now. If people don’t wake the hell up and realise that the Democratic reps know full well that they’re not going to get re-elected and are trying to delay the passage of EFCA until they’re are booted out, it won’t pass. We need to embarass the hell out of them and make their life a living hell, until it’s passed. NOW!
“We need to embarass the hell out of them and make their life a living hell, until it’s passed. NOW” Beautiful comment and it amazes me how people can go about their business with their heads in the sand. Your suggestion is absolutely what needs to be done, but how do you communicate with morons with their heads in the sand?
Well, the only real way to do that now is to start by talking to friends/friends in the work place, and have the courage to break that one tenement that everyone feels safe with, talk politics, if you know someone (even one person) who agrees something needs to be done to stop fascism in the workplace (here and abroad, but lets START here) the likelyhood is they want to do something too, just with the support of others. Then you have even a few people mobilised they can mobilise others and so on. (courage begets courage)
And I’ve found that for those who I can’t completely gage there political beliefs, the best way to keep it light is to try humor if possible and think of something that you yourself are a moderate. Or those few things that both the far right and the far left can agree on, sounds crazy, but one example is the Federal Reserve. Use tact, I know that’s difficult, but it becomes easy after a while, (especially since I’m so far left that all democrats look like Rush Limbaugh) The internet music station at my workplace reports the news at certain intervals, (even if mainstream) so if I bring up that I don’t care about what the admin. is doing about healthcare, that they should either pass HR 676 or drop it and get to EFCA already, I’m not the one whose bringing up the subject, the radio is. And if it feels like your turning to a bad curve change the subject to something vagely related but drop the politics immediately. Otherwise it’s an off subject forever.
And I know that there are people working ungodly hours and have plenty of problems of there own but once you take those first few steps and work groups involved in preserving and repairing labor causes out there it won’t be such a burnout, and instead can be fun. Just think what it’s like at the Billionaires for Wealthcare rallies.
For many who aren’t quite ready for rallies, one way to get there feet wet is connect with those in the community who are already working to scare politicians straight. Many will ask for donations, but note that the donations are usually just to fill the holes were volunteers can help. One group that I get internet updates from is Jobs With Justice http://www.jwj.org/ they’ve had many successful campaigns to push politicians bureucrats and corporate pigs to do the right thing, and in some cases just push them out all together.
I believe many sympathise with labor causes or most likely don’t know anything about it because it’s left at the work place. Most want to do something, but there is a social stigma (probably created by corporate consumerist media) to keep people uncomfortable with the idea that they are people who are more than capable of creating significant change.
I’ve found that keeping yourself informed can get you angry enough to be more unconfortable not talking to people, and more motivated to do something no matter how small to make a difference. (Believe me: there’s plenty on the net)