The personal decision to want union representation is one of the most important choices a craft professional makes.

The National Labor Relations Board allows employees to use a secret, confidential ballot to determine whether they want union representation. This is to ensure the election is free of employer and union coercion.

However, the misnamed “Employee Free Choice Act” would create a system subject to intimidation and abuse. In a “card check” campaign union officials start by gathering authorization cards signed by workers expressing their desire for the union to represent them. But these “card checks” require employees to cast their votes in front of union organizers and fellow employees who support unionization. This provides a less accurate reflection of what employees actually want than does a secret ballot election.

All workers, in every industry, deserve the fundamental American right to a federally supervised private-ballot election — the same procedure used to elect politicians to public office.

Oklahoma kiddo @ 127

Defense Industry Embraces Democrats, Hillary By Far The Favorite

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…..68927.html

Hell Hillary made them a great deal of money voting yes for the 2002 war resolution. With her yes vote for the Kyl Lieberman amendment she was lining profits for defense $$$$ for a pre-emtive strike on Iran. You can bet your ass that profits are way up from sales and defense deals in the middle east.

So, why should any union members support her? Are they also happy to be war profiteering? Are they Vichy Dems or are they just trying to get in good with the candidate they feel certain will win?

If they understand unions and standing together then maybe they’d think twice before supporting the corporate candidate.

Maybe, just maybe, the unions should stand together.

Oklahoma kiddo @ 98

Is HRC a friend of labor?

The unions who have endorsed her think she is…

Easily said, but is it true?

Isn’t it as likely they just want to jump on the winning bandwagon?

Somebody ought to poll the membership!

… Naomi Klein, that the consolidation of corporate control of our society is based on the imposition of permanent “minority” governance. Today’s failure to override the SCHIP veto, provides proof that the political economy is now structured to reflect only the interests of the monied class thru the corporation. …

We’ve been focusing on the behavior of Bush, but I think you’ve noted something very interesting. Here is the same influence being reflected in Congress in a new accentuated way.

Yep, we need to really take over Congress with Progressive Dems or we’ll remain in the political minority forever.

BTW, if a corporation was recognized as a person because it was once property, just as a slave was once a property, then why can’t I make my computer into a person? It’s property and has as much intelligence as a bush.

About the time our original thirteen states adopted their new constitution in 1787, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh , had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years earlier:

“A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government.”

“A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury.”

“From that moment on, the majority always vote for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.”

“The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years.”

“During those 200 years, those nations always progressed through the following sequence:

1. From bondage to spiritual faith;
2. From spiritual faith to great courage;
3. From courage to liberty;
4. From liberty to abundance;
5. From abundance to complacency;
6. From complacency to apathy;
7. From apathy to dependence;
8. From dependence back into bondage”

Is HRC a friend of labor?

Probably not.

“We represent management in all forms of state and federal litigation involving claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the American with Disabilities Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act. We practice before governmental agencies, including, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, the Mine and Safety Health Administration, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and other Department of Labor agencies. We also advise clients on union avoidance, organizing campaigns and union representation elections.”

http://www.roselawfirm.com/practice/management.asp

That was then, this is now?

Why is this guy on her team?

http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…..121023/721

OK, what about her own self?

“It is deeply troubling, but, perhaps, very revealing, when a Democratic candidate for the Presidency of the United States seeks the support of one of the most important industrial labor unions in the nation but refuses to answer questions from the rank and file union members.

That’s what happened today when U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton addressed the United Steelworkers conference in Cleveland. Not only did she not participate in the question-and-answer portion of the program to which all of the Presidential candidates had agreed, but she also completely ignored one of the major issues that has forced millions of union workers and others into unemployment: the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).”

http://www.democrats.org/page/community/tag/NAFTA

Hillary is a powerful candidate, and a damn fine Democratic senator from NY.

Progressive? Not so you can tell it.

Citizens Tula, oklahomakiddo and the Firepup Freedom Fighters:

I jest dropped $50 (we can’t afford) on the good Senator Dodd…I think that this move and (hopefully, maybe) a threat to “hold” the Mukasey nomination could serve to use his visibility in the Senate to stake out the huge progressive space among the candidates. If he ken stick to his guns and come out in front on labor issues and legislation he ken at least force Mrs. Clinton to move away from the friendly confines of Rupert Murdock, MBNA and big oil.

Oklahomakiddo: I gotcher back, brother kiddo, as a third generation union person I am quite aware that to create space in our politics for workin’ folks’ issues means to take it to the street. The same is true of any anti-war efforts. We absolutely need to provide the generals in this fight for a “peoples politics” with the “boots on the ground”…that means hittin the streets in demonstrations aimed at DEMOCRATS on behalf of labor and the anti-war forces. Make no mistake, folks like Howard Dean and Chris Dodd represent what could become a “general staff” for the progressive army in its battle for control of the Democratic Party.

Don’t give up the fight to put the “Democrat” back in your Democratic Party…just give ‘em a kick in the ass instead!

KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE AMMUNITION, NOW WE’RE GETTIN’ DOWN TO THE NITTY-GRITTY!!

Defense Industry Embraces Democrats, Hillary By Far The Favorite

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…..68927.html

Hell Hillary made them a great deal of money voting yes for the 2002 war resolution. With her yes vote for the Kyl Lieberman amendment she was lining profits for defense $$$$ for a pre-emtive strike on Iran. You can bet your ass that profits are way up from sales and defense deals in the middle east.

On the same topic, the support of the union movement was probably the main reason why the reactionary republicans of his day treated FDR as a class traitor. It always was about the union movement.