Union Politicking

Right to Work Op-Ed: Spending Shows Union Bosses Out of Touch From Workers' Interests

Anthony Riedel — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 10:51:29 -0500

Earlier this year, Gerry McEntee, president of the powerful AFSCME union, explained to The Hill newspaper that his union's futile $87.5 million political spending blitz in the 2010 Congressional midterm elections was intended to protect unpopular incumbent Democrats in Washington, D.C.

Yesterday, Mark Mix, President of the National Right to Work Foundation, was published in Investor's Business Daily exposing how union members actually overwhelmingly oppose their union bosses' political spending and agenda. From Investor's:

Did Big Labor Break the Bank in the 2008 Elections?

Will Collins — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:37:56 -0400

To readers who followed Big Labor's record-breaking political contributions last election, it should come as no surprise that the AFL-CIO and the SEIU officials are hinting at big union debts. Of course, so long as the union bossses have a basically unrestricted right to to collect (and jack up) forced union dues, they will not have trouble raising revenue until most American jobs are destroyed.

But don't be surprised to see the union bosses lining up at the federal bailout trough (again) to exploit the situation. Here's the Wall Street Journal:

SEIU Bosses Put Politics Before Workers' Jobs - Literally

Will Collins — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 17:08:57 -0400

Here at Freedom@Work, we spend a lot of time documenting union bosses' shameless hypocrisy, but this latest incident (almost) surprised even us. The powerful Service Employees International Union (SEIU) recently fired 75 staffers. But why is an organization that collects hundreds of millions of dollars in easy money (forced dues) per year cutting jobs now, in the midst of a devastating economic recession? Simple - they want even more cash for political lobbying:

"It's completely hypocritical," said staff union President Malcolm Harris...

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Right to Work Video: Stop the Obama Administration from Trashing Basic Union Disclosure Requirements

Will Collins — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 08:11:55 -0400

Regular Freedom@Work readers already know that AFL-CIO bosses just spent a week at a luxurious beachfront resort in Miami with VP Biden and Secretary of Labor Solis. Now they want the Department of Labor to rescind simple disclosure guidelines that would help rank-and-file workers learn when they're funding extravagant union getaways. Check out the National Right to Work video with Committee and Foundation President Mark Mix for more information:

Wall Street Journal: "Unions don't want to eliminate voter intimidation -- they want a monopoly on it"

Will Collins — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:14:10 -0400

Former solicitor of labor Eugene Scalia takes to the pages of today's Wall Street Journal to argue against Big Labor's Card Check scheme. His op-ed explodes the myth that jettisoning the secret ballot will somehow reduce workplace intimidation:

CNN: National Right to Work Discusses Card Check on Lou Dobbs

Will Collins — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 17:10:04 -0400

Lou Dobbs' recent report on Card Check featured an interview with Committee and Foundation President Mark Mix. Check out the video for a full account of union bosses' extensive political connections to the Obama Administration and Capitol Hill, as well as their ambitious legislative priorities:

When the Forced Dues Payers Are Away, the Union Bosses Do Play

Will Collins — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:56:15 -0500

The posh Miami Fontainebleu Hotel will play host to Vice President Biden, Hilda Solis, and the AFL-CIO executive council this week, as union bosses work tirelessly to spend employees' hard-earned forced dues on $1000 per night rooms and critical projects like sampling each of the facility's eleven restaurants, thoroughly testing the resort's 40,000 square foot spa, and enjoying the sights and sounds of Miami Beach:

Video: Right to Work at CPAC - The Dangers of Card Check

Will Collins — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 11:50:26 -0500

Foundation President Mark Mix spoke on the dangers of card check legislation at the 2009 CPAC Conference in Washington, DC. Here's the video:

For previous Foundation card check coverage, click here.

Right to Work On CNN: Obama Executive Orders Funnel Taxpayer Dollars into Union Bosses' Pockets

Will Collins — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:35:13 -0500

Foundation VP Stefan Gleason appeared on CNN Wednesday with Lou Dobbs as part of a piece on the Obama Administration's new Project Labor Agreement Executive Order, which discriminates against the vast majority of construction workers who have not chosen to unionize. The executive order is likely to result in hundreds of millions of dollars in new forced union dues, while jacking up the costs shouldered by taxpayers. Check it out:

Take Action Now: Obama Administration Moves to Roll Back Union Disclosure Rules

Will Collins — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:59:45 -0500

In 1959, well-meaning advocates of employee freedom secured passage of the Labor-Management Reporting Disclosure Act (LMRDA), a bill that promised disclosure of union finances with the (mostly unrealized) promise of weeding out corrupt union racketeers.

In 2009, President Barack Obama pledged his Administration would be on the side of disclosure -- but that has been revealed as a false promise.

The Obama Administration has moved to eliminate some modest union disclosure regulations that would allow American workers forced to pay union dues some basic information about the self-awarded “benefits” union bosses enjoy.

Of course, so long as forced unionism privileges remain intact, no amount of disclosure will meaningfully increase union accountability, but perhaps employees will gain a greater awareness of how their forced dues are spent.