Card Check through Regulation vs. Legislation, Actions Speak Louder than Words!

The majority of news outlets have failed to recognize the massive amount of increased government regulation occurring behind the scenes, particularly in the labor arena. As described in my latest blog, “A Story of Our Future,” President Obama’s public rhetoric is now pro-business, and he is engaging business leaders to solve the country’s economic problems. Behind the scenes, however, it is a totally different story. As the old saying goes “Actions Speak Louder than Words.”  It is time for mass media and the American public to observe the actions and dismiss the rhetoric!

Fortunately a few in the media, such as Larry Kudlow, are waking up to the massive changes being promulgated by the Obama administration to provide an unlevel playing field in favor of big labor as outlined in Americans: Beware of Rogue NLRB. In recent commentary on CNBC’s “The Kudlow Report,” Larry Kudlow succinctly identified the overwhelming rule changes tilted in big labor’s favor by the Department of Labor (DOL) and Hilda Solias’s directives to increase field investigations of businesses for wage and hour, as well as other violations (See CNBC Reports). Larry’s commentary, which exposes these changes as heavily weighted in favor of big labor instead of providing a level balance for employees, employers and unions as provided in the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) mission statement, still misses the true objective which is establishment of “Card Check” through regulation! Kudlow deserves “kudos” for correctly pointing out that DOL Fraud Investigators are being directed to investigate employer violations. In reality this has very little impact as there are so few investigators. However, what is significant is that the legion of union foot soldiers will exponentially expand the Fraud Investigators ranks and exploit the regulation changes to harass employers. In other words, union organizers will utilize these regulation changes against any and all size businesses by filing charges with the NLRB and DOL. Quite simply the regulation changes are merely tools to make it easy to conduct corporate campaigns against companies with the intent of coercing them into signing a Neutrality Agreement and EFCA Through the Backdoor is achieved as described in The Devil at My Doorstep!

Craig Becker, Obama’s recess appointment to the NLRB once indicated he could achieve Card Check through rules and regulation changes at the NLRB, and he is well on his way to making his prediction reality!  The agenda is so simple it is brilliant. Let’s hope more like Larry peek beneath the covers to expose the real intent to implement Card Check through regulation and not legislation as outlined in Beyond Lame Ducksville and on to Corporate Campaigns! Actions do speak louder than words!

A Story of Our Future!

Bob owns a small business that provides heating and air conditioning service and installation. He employs approximately 10 staff and workers and is located in Anywhere, USA. Bob has been in business for over 20 years, strong relationships with his employees, and enjoys a good reputation in the community. Bob has always focused on running the business, taking care of his family and being a good neighbor and respected member of the community.

Unfortunately, Bob has been so focused on these areas, that he has ignored changes occurring nationally — changes that could destroy the business he has built out of his own sweat and blood and eliminate his employees’ jobs. Bob has seen in the media many proposed changes in laws and regulations, especially in the labor arena, but he is so absorbed in his business and family that he failed to connect the dots and see the writing on the wall. He is much like an ostrich which buries its head in the sand when the deadly predator is about to pounce and devour the ostrich for dinner.

So Bob, the ostrich, is minding his own business and doesn’t realize that President Obama, through his radical agency appointees and executive orders has effectively created “Card Check,” albeit through big labor’s “corporate campaigns” process and the infamous Neutrality Agreement. All of a sudden, Bob receives a call from the local big labor boss (whom we will call Brutus) who wants to meet with Bob. Bob tells him that is not necessary since his people are all very happy and he treats them well. Brutus tells Bob that he misunderstands — that this has nothing to do with his employees and the meeting is important to the future of Bob’s business. Bob tells him he is not interested and hangs up. Over the next couple of weeks Bob continues to receive calls and e-mails from Brutus. Brutus insists on a meeting and tells Bob that it will be “bad for his business” if he doesn’t agree to meet with Brutus. Bob finally agrees to a meeting, and Brutus promptly states he wants him to sign a Neutrality Agreement, and that if he doesn’t agree to do so the union will attack his company! Bob, attempting to be fair, tells Brutus “let’s have an election” and both of us will live with the results. Brutus, knowing he cannot win an election, declines and insists that Bob sign the Neutrality Agreement, but Bob refuses.  Brutus then looks at Bob and says “We enjoy conversation but embrace confrontation. We will be attacking your employees, your customers, and you.” Bob leaves the meeting not understanding the consequences of Brutus’s words and the impending campaign against his company.

The next thing Bob knows he is being contacted by the National Labor Relations Board, the Department of Labor, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, informing him that there have been multiple claims filed against his business. Additionally, his employees and customers are being harassed, sometimes publicly, sometimes privately.  Articles begin appearing in the local media about the alleged violations and Bob’s “mistreatment” of his employees. Splinter groups like the clergy’s Interfaith Workers Justice and Jobs for Justice are writing letters and conducting tribunals against his company.

Bob begins to lose business. Not knowing what to do, he hires an attorney. The attorney tries to fight the government charges but faces a losing battle in light of recent gifts to big labor. The legal bills continue to mount, and now there is the potential of heavy fines for every claim upheld against his company. Bob is living a nightmare, when all of a sudden an angel in the form of Brutus appears. Brutus once again sticks the Neutrality Agreement in front of Bob’s nose. He tells Bob that if he signs the Agreement everything will go away. The union will withdraw their charges and the fines will disappear. Bob, facing the loss of his business and financial collapse, eagerly signs the Agreement which forfeits his employee’s right to a secret ballot election and implements “card check.” Bob also has to provide the union with a list of all of his employees and their home address. Within a week Brutus returns to Bob and declares that a majority of Bob’s employees have signed union cards and he now wants to negotiate a contract! Such is the fictional story of Bob, the small business man. However, the chilling facts vividly come to life in the true story The Devil at My Doorstep.

What relevance does this have for the rest of the country and our future? Very simple! These atrocities are being committed every day across the country against companies of all sizes, and the number and intensity will increase with the backing of Obama and his supporters whose goal is to take control of this country, implement socialism and take away freedom of choice. Americans are facing a future bondage of forced unionism and government control for not only themselves but their children and grandchildren!!

Today’s unions are no more than Gasping Dinosaurs who can only survive through the backing of government regulations designed to force private company employees into unionism or government-induced growth of public employee unions. In fact they are so desperate they will organize any company, from small businesses like Bob’s all the way up to major corporations. The bottom line for big labor is survival. They intend to accomplish this through money, power and politics, not the will of the people! Big labor’s survival is integral to ultimate government control, as they are the indoctrinated foot soldiers of the Administration.

Such is the scenario that all companies face if big labor continues to receive a multitude of gifts from the Obama Administration in the form of rules and regulation changes. See blogs EFCA Through the Backdoor! and Americans: Beware of Rogue NLRB! As if these continuous attacks on American freedoms were not enough, this past week more gifts were bestowed upon big labor without so much as a whisper from the national media:

1.) The NLRB informed four states whose electorate had voted to approve amendments that protect the “Secret Ballot Election” during organizing campaigns that the amendments violated federal law and the NLRB would file legal charges against the states to enjoin them from enforcing the laws. See NLRB News Release and State Amendments and Preemption.

2.) The NLRB ruled that Catholic Institutions were not exempt from regulations because their purpose is secular and not religious Government Regulators May Not Recognize Catholic Universities as Religious.

3.) Harry Reid submitted a proposal to eliminate filibusters and pass all laws on a simple majority of 51 votes so he can pass “card check,” the Police and Firefighters Monopoly Bill, and others. (An online petition to oppose this action is located at this link: Please Send Your Senators a Free Action Fax IMMEDIATELY and Urge them to Oppose Harry Reid’s Latest Scheme).

4.) Unions want the NLRB to allow them to operate freely in employers’ buildings and offices because it is unfair that the Girl Scouts have such privileges and the unions don’t.  (See Will the Union-Controlled NLRB Kick the Girl Scouts Out on the Streets? and Union Bosses Scheme to be Girl Scouts’ Next “Tagalong” ).

This article deals with government regulation and interference with business and labor, but the same game is being played out with health care, energy, communications, gun laws and the financial markets, as detailed in When Will Congress and the Main Stream Media Wake Up? If you’re not afraid of where this country is headed under the Obama Administration after reading this article, you must truly be an ostrich. Any level headed person with an ounce of common sense would have to ask Who Is Running the Country? and is Obama a Puppet or Puppeteer? It is time for Americans to get their proverbial heads out of the sand and put an end to the historical numbers of changes being perpetrated behind the scenes before we become the second Weimar Republic! Read The Obama Conspiracy against Small Business .

SEIU Snow Job!

It appears the SEIU has once again utilized the old “Persuasion of Power” trick, this time at the expense of New York City taxpayers. It was reported by government employees that the Sanitation Department’s Slow Snow Cleanup was a Budget Protest and that big labor bosses instructed union membership to slack off on the job in order to teach New York City politicians a lesson, because of proposed layoffs and cutbacks (See Big Labor’s Snowmageddon Snit Fit). The SEIU loves to utilize thuggery to achieve its goals — whether in slowdowns against government entities or by staging corporate campaigns against private sector employers. The objective in both instances is the same: “intimidate and humiliate until they capitulate!”

These “Gasping Dinosaurs” are desperate to retain membership. The recent economic downturn has exposed the inherent costs of public unions, and their destructive nature on the economy and government budgets. The SEIU’s latest shenanigans provide a glimpse as to their willingness to be destructive and disruptive to the welfare of the public.  Imagine how bad it would be if the government is allowed to continue to push for more unionized mass transit, a stated goal of the Obama administration (See Disorganizing Labor)!

Private employers have been exposed to these type tactics for many years, similar to those described in The Devil at My Doorstep. Government entities have largely escaped these tactics since Kennedy’s 1962 Executive Order permitting the organization of public employees, as corrupt political alliances and paybacks have allowed forced unionization of public employees and “cush” jobs for big labor bosses at the expense of the taxpayer (See New York City’s No-Show SEIU Snow Jobs)!  Now, however, the consequences of this Executive Order are being brought to light by a struggling economy and the thuggery of big labor bosses.

It will be interesting to see what transpires this time as another major blizzard has New York City directly in its sites!

When Will Congress and the Main Stream Media Wake Up?

Over the past two weeks the mainstream media and Congress have been enamored with stories concentrating on topics such as who won the Lame Duck session, Health Care repeal (See ABC Warns Republicans Against Challenging ObamaCare), Obama’s trip to Hawaii, Napolitano’s trip to the Mideast, party infighting,  and other nebulous news, while the Obama administration continued fundamental government takeover through regulatory action by its appointees. When will they wake up to the fact that this administration is overwhelming the system and changing our government while they are being distracted by Obama’s sleight of hand? Instead of worrying about ratings and their careers, maybe these groups should begin doing some good old investigative journalism and congressional reviews into what is going on behind the scenes!

Except for Charles Krauthammer, op-ed columnist for the Washington Post, who wrote an insightful article that hits the nail squarely on the head, the rest of the media were asleep at the wheel. Mr. Krauthammer’s article, Government by Regulation. Shhh, succinctly described the intent of this administration to achieve its objective by administrative fiat. Krauthammer used three poignant examples of “administrative fiat” to support his position. The first example was Medicare’s regulation which reinstated the so-called “death panels” (as coined by Sarah Palin), see Cal Thomas’s editorial She Told Us So; the second was the reversal of a decision that would allow use of federal lands for oil exploration by the Interior Department; and the third involved the regulation of carbon emissions by the EPA, thereby implementing key provisions of Obama’s failed “cap and trade” legislation.

Mr. Krauthammer could have added another example that is even more insidious: control of American business and ultimately all American workers through rule changes and reversals of case precedent by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Department of Labor (DOL) at the direction of radical Obama appointees. The recent proposed rule changes and directives by the NLRB, detailed in my blog Americans: Beware of Rogue NLRB! were barely mentioned by the mainstream media and conveniently ignored by most members of Congress. This occurred despite the multitude of previous NLRB and DOL changes bestowed upon big labor, which could devastate America’s free market economy! (See Obama Administration Closes Year Paying Off Big Labor).

It is apparent Obama understands that government control of health care, energy, communications (see Net Neutrality Rules Set to Pass), guns and business is the key to fundamentally changing our system of government from a republic into socialism as summarized in the last paragraph of The Sinister Soros-ACORN Connections You Aren’t Supposed to Notice. It is equally apparent that the mainstream media buys into Obama’s class warfare and social justice rhetoric instead of doing the right thing for the American people and reporting objective, unbiased facts. Likewise many members of Congress are more interested in Obama’s rhetoric and their own selfish greed, while many others are merely naïve or past their prime. Let’s hope, for the sake of this great nation, that the members of Congress wake up before it is too late! They should investigate all of Obama’s czars and appointees, as well as their “behind the scenes” regulation changes, before this savage attack on our government and Constitution is consummated and we become a nation enslaved by our own government!