Plus ca Change …

The More Things Change,

By Laura Adelmann

(photo Associated Press)

the more they stay the same. I think Arlen Specter has learned a valuable lesson. He learned that calling himself a Democrat hasn’t improved his ability to negotiate a compromise on the Employee Free Choice Act or Card Check. I just have to wonder how long it will be before Specter caves and just votes for the bill as is and solidifies the grip of the unions in this country? Card Check ends the right to a private ballot. This enables union organizers, who certainly have an interest in the outcome of any vote as they collect a percentage of employees’ income in dues, to more directly coerce or threaten employees. Union organizers can visit employees’ homes and could refuse to leave until a card is signed, not to mention the possibility of fraudulent signatures. Card Check also requires binding arbitration if the parties fail to agree on an initial union contract. Arbitration isn’t a discussion or a chance to reach a compromise. The decision of the arbitrator is final and imposes a contract on both parties for two years. This destroys the right of employees to bargain with their employer. It just slaps a contract in place and both parties have to live with the results.

The unions tout this bill as necessary to save the middle class. They claim that the corporations deny people the right to join unions, that they coerce and control their employees. Because unions are so much less coercive? Locally, Ohio’s AK Steel employees were out of work for a year. They couldn’t get other jobs if they wanted their AK jobs back through the union. People lost their homes because the union organizers stuck to their demands and AK Steel argued that it needed to cut positions and benefits to remain profitable in the current market. If a company starts losing profits due to union demands, does it really benefit the employees for the unions to keep pushing and push the company out of business altogether? How much fault do the unions bear for the problems America’s car industry is facing? The economy of this country is changing and union membership is declining. Card check is a thinly veiled attempt to swing the balance back in the union’s favor. Card check as it stands replaces the corporate bully that the unions claim controls the system, with the union bully.

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