Comments on: Employee Free Choice: Beware of the Big Lie Bill http://firedoglake.com/2009/02/26/employee-free-choice-beware-of-the-big-lie-bill/ Firedoglake weblog Fri, 17 Feb 2012 19:20:25 -0600 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: serge http://firedoglake.com/2009/02/26/employee-free-choice-beware-of-the-big-lie-bill/#comment-1843502 serge Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:14:36 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/02/26/employee-free-choice-beware-of-the-big-lie-bill/#comment-1843502 <p>Jim DeMint (sounds French) is an idiot of colossal proportions, a buffoon of the right, a clown to entertain his masters, a disgrace to South Carolina (along with Miss Graham), an excrescence on the body politic, an impediment to progress of any kind, a thug urinating on anything that another might hold dear, a one-man shitstorm, a churchical hypocrite, and just basically an asshole.</p> <p>There, I’ve said it. I have to live here.</p> Jim DeMint (sounds French) is an idiot of colossal proportions, a buffoon of the right, a clown to entertain his masters, a disgrace to South Carolina (along with Miss Graham), an excrescence on the body politic, an impediment to progress of any kind, a thug urinating on anything that another might hold dear, a one-man shitstorm, a churchical hypocrite, and just basically an asshole.

There, I’ve said it. I have to live here.

]]> By: Robt http://firedoglake.com/2009/02/26/employee-free-choice-beware-of-the-big-lie-bill/#comment-1843478 Robt Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:01:28 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/02/26/employee-free-choice-beware-of-the-big-lie-bill/#comment-1843478 <p>Employee free choice act and health care will be the two largest fights in washington we will see in our life time. </p> <p>Although the EFCA is not that detrimental law to businesses. It is a significant signal flare of what is to come.</p> Employee free choice act and health care will be the two largest fights in washington we will see in our life time.

Although the EFCA is not that detrimental law to businesses. It is a significant signal flare of what is to come.

]]> By: BargainCountertenor http://firedoglake.com/2009/02/26/employee-free-choice-beware-of-the-big-lie-bill/#comment-1843052 BargainCountertenor Thu, 26 Feb 2009 23:02:57 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/02/26/employee-free-choice-beware-of-the-big-lie-bill/#comment-1843052 <p>Actually, in every parliamentary procedure there are lots of ways to kill things. If you control the agenda and committee assignments of legislation, simply assigning proposals to the ‘right’ committee can determine their fate. If I were Harry Reid, I’d make sure this bill was heard in a committee whose chair is solid union supporter. That will be sufficient to kill it.</p> <p>If you (or your allies) don’t control the agenda and committee assignments, you can control the debate, insert poison pills by amendment, filibuster (if the rules allow), etc.</p> <p>Getting things through parliamentary processes is much harder than killing them.</p> Actually, in every parliamentary procedure there are lots of ways to kill things. If you control the agenda and committee assignments of legislation, simply assigning proposals to the ‘right’ committee can determine their fate. If I were Harry Reid, I’d make sure this bill was heard in a committee whose chair is solid union supporter. That will be sufficient to kill it.

If you (or your allies) don’t control the agenda and committee assignments, you can control the debate, insert poison pills by amendment, filibuster (if the rules allow), etc.

Getting things through parliamentary processes is much harder than killing them.

]]> By: JoeBuck http://firedoglake.com/2009/02/26/employee-free-choice-beware-of-the-big-lie-bill/#comment-1843047 JoeBuck Thu, 26 Feb 2009 22:42:43 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/02/26/employee-free-choice-beware-of-the-big-lie-bill/#comment-1843047 <p>Only incompetence by Harry Reid could give this move any gas at all. The proposed bill can be bottled up in committee, and the committee chair can arrange that the EFCA has to be considered first.</p> <p>The Democrats control the floor, and they control the committees. The Republicans can use filibusters to stop things, but they have no power to start things.</p> Only incompetence by Harry Reid could give this move any gas at all. The proposed bill can be bottled up in committee, and the committee chair can arrange that the EFCA has to be considered first.

The Democrats control the floor, and they control the committees. The Republicans can use filibusters to stop things, but they have no power to start things.

]]> By: BargainCountertenor http://firedoglake.com/2009/02/26/employee-free-choice-beware-of-the-big-lie-bill/#comment-1843037 BargainCountertenor Thu, 26 Feb 2009 22:28:41 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/02/26/employee-free-choice-beware-of-the-big-lie-bill/#comment-1843037 <p>Actually, it’s not a matter of the employer giving permission. That is guaranteed by card-check system. If enough workers sign cards, the election must be held.</p> <p>But under the current system, management gets to set the date (well in the future) and the place (somewhere they control) for the election. This is used to provide them time and space for antiunion activities.</p> <p>Making people understand that is difficult, and the lie about ‘eliminating secret ballot elections’ gains a lot of traction. I’m okay with a compromise. Sure, let’s have elections. But they have to be held quickly after cards are certified, and not held in a place controlled by management. So, no time for them to engage in anti-union activities, and not in a space where they can keep goons around to make sure people vote the ‘right’ way.</p> Actually, it’s not a matter of the employer giving permission. That is guaranteed by card-check system. If enough workers sign cards, the election must be held.

But under the current system, management gets to set the date (well in the future) and the place (somewhere they control) for the election. This is used to provide them time and space for antiunion activities.

Making people understand that is difficult, and the lie about ‘eliminating secret ballot elections’ gains a lot of traction. I’m okay with a compromise. Sure, let’s have elections. But they have to be held quickly after cards are certified, and not held in a place controlled by management. So, no time for them to engage in anti-union activities, and not in a space where they can keep goons around to make sure people vote the ‘right’ way.

]]> By: earlofhuntingdon http://firedoglake.com/2009/02/26/employee-free-choice-beware-of-the-big-lie-bill/#comment-1843027 earlofhuntingdon Thu, 26 Feb 2009 22:17:19 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/02/26/employee-free-choice-beware-of-the-big-lie-bill/#comment-1843027 <p>Thank you. Card check is one practical way for workers to vote for a union. The secret ballot, an equally available choice under the EFCA, is another. This is another front on the war against labor and the middle class. It has nothing whatever to do with the mythology or aspirations of America. It has everything to do with employers wanting no fetters on how they hire, fire and pay their workers.</p> Thank you. Card check is one practical way for workers to vote for a union. The secret ballot, an equally available choice under the EFCA, is another. This is another front on the war against labor and the middle class. It has nothing whatever to do with the mythology or aspirations of America. It has everything to do with employers wanting no fetters on how they hire, fire and pay their workers.

]]> By: dosido http://firedoglake.com/2009/02/26/employee-free-choice-beware-of-the-big-lie-bill/#comment-1843024 dosido Thu, 26 Feb 2009 22:13:09 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/02/26/employee-free-choice-beware-of-the-big-lie-bill/#comment-1843024 <p>and born again deficit haters. wow. good tv. </p> <p>issa lying his face off.</p> and born again deficit haters. wow. good tv.

issa lying his face off.

]]> By: lokywoky http://firedoglake.com/2009/02/26/employee-free-choice-beware-of-the-big-lie-bill/#comment-1843023 lokywoky Thu, 26 Feb 2009 22:12:24 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/02/26/employee-free-choice-beware-of-the-big-lie-bill/#comment-1843023 <p>The way I understand the current law is that the employer has to ‘give permission’ for the election - and they also get to set the date.</p> <p>Of course, in a lot of cases that permission was simply denied. And setting the date of the election months down the road and then doing everything from threats and intimidation to actually shutting the business down and moving to another town happened in the interim.</p> <p>EFCA takes this away from the employers. The card-check allows for the organizing union to set the date, if the workers actually want to have election they can. But the workers have all the choices under EFCA. That’s why the anti-worker Rethugs and their business cronies hate it so much.</p> The way I understand the current law is that the employer has to ‘give permission’ for the election – and they also get to set the date.

Of course, in a lot of cases that permission was simply denied. And setting the date of the election months down the road and then doing everything from threats and intimidation to actually shutting the business down and moving to another town happened in the interim.

EFCA takes this away from the employers. The card-check allows for the organizing union to set the date, if the workers actually want to have election they can. But the workers have all the choices under EFCA. That’s why the anti-worker Rethugs and their business cronies hate it so much.

]]> By: foothillsmike http://firedoglake.com/2009/02/26/employee-free-choice-beware-of-the-big-lie-bill/#comment-1843022 foothillsmike Thu, 26 Feb 2009 22:12:16 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/02/26/employee-free-choice-beware-of-the-big-lie-bill/#comment-1843022 <p>OT Issa vs Franks on Tweety. Tweety jumped out Issa for saying democrat party. Franks jumped to defense of what he called the republicanistas. Funny exchange.</p> OT Issa vs Franks on Tweety. Tweety jumped out Issa for saying democrat party. Franks jumped to defense of what he called the republicanistas. Funny exchange.

]]> By: mack http://firedoglake.com/2009/02/26/employee-free-choice-beware-of-the-big-lie-bill/#comment-1843003 mack Thu, 26 Feb 2009 21:48:01 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/02/26/employee-free-choice-beware-of-the-big-lie-bill/#comment-1843003 <p>Democratic Leadership is an oxymoron until the morons are ‘primaried’</p> Democratic Leadership is an oxymoron until the morons are ‘primaried’

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