As has been documented in previous blogs, unions have been on a steady decline since 1947 when Congress, following more than a decade of union corruption,passed the Taft-Hartley Act. Of the many important provisions of the Act, perhaps none was more so than the guarantee of the secret ballot election which,  for all intents and purposes, eliminated Card Check!  Since its peak, union membership has dropped from approximately 35-40% of the workforce to a low of 11.3% today. Per statistics gathered by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, included amongst this trending decrease is a drop of approximately 400,000 members in the last year alone.

It is no surprise then that the Big Labor bosses are opposed to any initiatives that would, in their minds, result in decreased membership and would eliminate traditional union “selling points.”  Characterization of ambition and incentive has often been that such persons are “being taken advantage of” or “overworked,” and that such companies are “sweat shops.” These traditional arguments, however, do not necessarily reflect the truth of the modern work environment, and the protections of our modern laws.  At one time unions served an important purpose in defending employee rights. However, Big Labor has fallen victim to the money, lifestyle and political power realized from increased union membership, and has lost their way and forgot their responsibility was to serve the membership and not vice-versa! Their greed, inability or resistance to compete in a free market society, and the advent of government agencies such as the NLRB, EEOC, and DOL unions in effect became obsolete.

Facing extinction, Big Labor’s Gasping Dinosaurs have yet to face reality and change its model to one that truly benefits productive employees and its membership in general. Instead they continue to attempt to impose their outdated and ineffective tactics of control, intimidation, coercion, and misinformation in a frantic effort to survive. Instead, they continue to wish to return to the days of Card Check where they force unionize employees then keep them under their thumbs by negotiating oppressive contracts that control employee rights instead of expanding them. They firmly believe this outdated approach is their only means of rebuilding their once vast empire!

Unfortunately for American employees, Big Labor does not realize time has passed them by; and that the United States is a republic not a socialistic country where people are controlled and herded like sheep. Hence Big Labor’s propensity to control and promote sameness at every juncture, and to prevent businesses from doing the right thing by rewarding productive employees through incentive programs, which drives American Exceptionalism  by rewarding those who are the most productive, safe, innovative, and cost-effective team players. This philosophy is illustrated by Big Labor bosses like Andy Stern (see The Drama Queen is at it Again), who were never successful in the free market, because they lacked the exact attributes they strive to suppress. They admittedly only became successful when they became part of an environment where they could use the Persuasion of Power  over employees and employers to achieve their goals. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumpka summed it up succinctly in a speech this past week when the bellicose mouthpiece of the AFL-CIO, confirmed the Big Labor survival doctrine: “forget the workers – focus on politics!” This statement tells you everything you need to know about Big Labor’s agenda and why we need Congress to pass laws to allow employers and government agencies restrained by outdated collective bargaining agreements to incentivize employees and  reverse The Decline of American Exceptionalism!

Unfortunately, my company, Executive Management Services, Inc., has experienced the intimidation of Big Labor on employer and employees as chronicled in my book The Devil at our Doorstep.  The events of the targeted attacks had a dramatic impact, not just on the organization, but on individual employees of EMS.

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Murderers and terrorists can get free legal aid in this country – but not independent employees.  I wish I could say that we could rely on Washington to level the playing field for independent employees who do not want a union.  What I can say is that this situation will not change anytime soon…. especially given the massive flow of money from unions into the political system.

Several like-minded experts in the labor field have created an organization that will bring great change to this gross inequity.  It is a non-profit called the Center for Independent Employees (CIE).  It provides free legal services to employees who are opposed to unions and is the only one of its kind in the nation.  I do everything I can to support their efforts.

For the last eight years CIE has quietly helped the employees of nearly sixty companies become union-free.  But we have only been able to address a small fraction of the problem.  This is NOT due to the lack of solid cases but rather the lack of funds and therefore the resources to take them on.

Please consider two things.  First, please visit the CIE website and learn more about this organization.  I have no financial association with CIE, but as a member of the CIE Advisory Board, I very much agree with its noble cause.  The need for an organization like CIE has never been greater.  Please learn a little more about CIE by going to www.finallyjusticeforall.com (the username is “cie” and the password is “cie”).

Second, I would like to ask you to consider making a tax-deductible donation to CIE.  CIE is a non-profit that relies on donations to continue their important work.  Your donation will be completely anonymous and any amount helps.  Our goal is to raise $2 million per year so that we can handle at least another 50 cases this year.

Click Here to Download the Contribution Form

Everyday we have opportunities to help independent employees.  For this reason, we will make ourselves available to answer any questions you might have about CIE.  Additionally, if you know of other company leaders who believe, like you, that independent employees should have representation, please let me know.  I can be reached at devilatmydoorstep@emsinc.com.  I look forward to hearing from you.  Thank you for your consideration of this most important enterprise.

Regards,

Dave Bego

Author, The Devil at Our Doorstep

I was privileged and honored, to be included as a speaker along with two brilliant headliners, President of The National Right To Work Committee, Mark Mix, and Director of  Labor Policy at The Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Vinnie Vernuccio. As I listened to the opening remarks from Terry Bowman and the presentation of awards to those that made this moment in history possible, I could not help but reflect on the passage of RTW in my home state of Indiana approximately a year earlier and how two very similar bills had such dissimilar origins.

CLICK HERE to see photos from the event!

In Indiana, the grassroots effort and groundswell for RTW originated in the business and political communities. Indiana Representative Jerry Torr, a businessman in his own right, started the process back in 2007 by introducing a RTW Bill and finally saw it come to fruition in February of 2012, with the support of the Indiana House led by Speaker Brian Bosma, the Indiana Senate led by Pro Tem David Long, and the strong backing of then Governor Mitch Daniels. I have been blessed to meet and be associated with these truly courageous and great men who led Indiana to being the 23^rd RTW State and the first in over ten years to pass such a measure. Passage of RTW was truly historical and a great leap forward for the protection and basic freedoms of employees and citizens of the great state of Indiana. Even more important, it awoke a sleeping giant that will hopefully become a tidal wave of “worker freedom” across the country!

As special as the passage of RTW was in Indiana, the dawn of RTW in Michigan is even more significant, as union members themselves started the ball rolling. I first became aware of  the Union Conservatives in the Spring of 2012. They were aware of my companies fight against the SEIU and of my stand against Big Labor intimidation of employees/employers and the misuse of membership dues all designed to achieve its political goals and rebuild its plummeting membership. They invited me to speak with them at a press conference on the steps of the State Capitol in Lansing, Michigan on March 29^th, 2012 in support of a RTW Bill for the protection of Michigan employees. I gratefully accepted and was honored to be among the union employees who spoke before the press and cameras that day. Despite the fact these brave union members gave wonderful speeches there was little coverage of the event in the local media. Furthermore, to my knowledge there was absolutely no coverage by the national media. The liberal press failed to realize that these brave young men would be the grassroots movement to convince the Michigan legislature to pass RTW in the Big Labor capitol of the world!

Almost exactly one year later, on March 28^th, 2013, I was proud to be included in this groups’ victory celebration! As I spoke that evening, telling my story of the SEIU’s forced unionism Corporate Campaign against my employees and my subsequent involvement in passage of RTW in Indiana, I felt compelled to congratulate them on a movement that succeeded, after employees woke up to labor boss abuses. I mentioned that I was encouraged that more and more of these grassroots movements were developing across the country, in states like Wisconsin, Missouri and even California.

- Stories chronicling such events can be found in The Devil at Our Doorstep. 

I stood emotional on the stage as I stated my firm belief that Americans at all levels were finally waking up to the goals of the Big Labor bosses and their political allies! More specifically, that people are beginning to realize that Big Labor and the current Administration share a combined objective to destroy capitalism and the Christian nation our founding fathers so thoughtfully created! In fact, this was the high point of my presence on stage, as the audience erupted into applause when I stated that Right to Work: Is A Basic American Freedom that is finally being recognized by Americans at all levels, and Michigan should be proud of its role!

Michigan is the beginning of a grassroots employee movement across the country to achieve employee rights and freedom not just from oppressive employers, but even more so from oppressive labor bosses and a supportive government. Congratulations Union Conservatives and Happy Michigan Right to Work Day!

After briefly explaining my background and providing a short history of the SEIU’s use of thuggish tactics through a Corporate Campaign in attempt to force unionize my employees by means of Card Check, I then laid out our successful strategy. We were able to turn the tables by utilizing the SEIU’s very tactics, but did it in a manner which did not sacrifice our integrity or professionalism. We went to the press, and exposed that the unions representations about how we mistreated employees were not true, but simply SEIU fabrications. In fact, we took out an advertisement, not only challenging the SEIU’s misinformation campaign, but challenging the SEIU to “put its money where its mouth is.” We publicly agreed to to a secret ballot election where employees could vote their conscience without fear of intimidation or retaliation, knowing that they would wilt at the challenge.

We also accumulated significant evidence of SEIU engaging in conduct in violation of the National Labor Relations Act, and filed 33 “Unfair Labor Practice” charges (ULP’s) against them in one day. By doing this, we confronted them with their own deplorable tactics, and forced them to defend their actions. Most importantly, we made a concerted effort to meet with all of our employees and our customers on site to explain our position and the reality of the SEIU propaganda, misinformation and its goal of elimination of their rights to a secret ballot election to decide if they desired SEIU representation. In essence, we developed a “big tent” approach to the problem — and it worked! The people listened, they understood, and the SEIU disappeared!

I implored the Committee to take the same “big tent” approach with the Obama Administration. The President’s tactics are learned from his days as a community (a.k.a. union) organizer. They are learned directly from the SEIU (as explained in Time to Connect the Dots).

The time has come to expose the Rules of Obama Power War, which, like the SEIU tactics misinformation, misdirection, intimidation, coercion and diversions, are all designed to put the Republicans on the defensive. Instead, the Republicans should stand tall and go on the offensive by burying Obama with investigations into his unconstitutional conduct (see Strategy: Bury Obama In Investigations). Utilize the same strategy that EMS used when it filed the 33 ULP charges against the SEIU in one day!

I explained that just as Ralphie learned in the movie “A Christmas Story,” the bully only understands and responds to the punch in the nose! Finally, the Republicans need to reach out to traditionally non-Republican groups, and to explain the reality of the President’s socialist designs and its impact upon their prosperity and freedom! They must do this again and again until the message resonates.

I sincerely hope I made an impact with this gracious and attentive group, as I truly believe that the future of this great nation is at stake and we must have representatives who are willing to stand up and fight for our survival; people who are willing to stand up to the abuse and be prepared for the political and financial cost it will take to save America by going on the offensive! In the days following my speech I began to notice an momentum towards and offensive, and then this past week an article in the Wall Street Journal GOP Issues Scathing Self-Analysis attracted my attention and the attention of the nation. I was happy to see that the underlying theme and tactics proposed during my speech were entwined within the new direction laid out by the RNC. Now, we need our representatives to have the intestinal fortitude to take the fight to the Administration and its socialist cronies like the SEIU and other far left organizations and individuals who only care about themselves! It is time to take the offensive and save this great nation for our children, grandchildren and future generations!

Despite the fact it was reported that the SEIU celebrated Chavez’s passing as a comrade, very few in the mainstream media stepped forward to expose the SEIU’s Insidious Tentacles  that infiltrate the White House (see SEIU Celebrates Comrade Hugo Chavez and Chavez Celebrated at SEIU Offices in New York).  Why was an organization that has openly demonstrated its communists beliefs by marching with communists in California once again given a free pass (see Communism at the Highest Levels?). Why wasn’t the close relationship between the SEIU and most powerful man on earth, and their close tie to and support of, Hugo Chavez exposed by the media (see SEIU Exposed)?  The only answers can be either, (1) a philosophical agreement, or (2) a fear of retaliation in the form of attacks upon donors or revenue sources such as advertisers in the case of the media.

While the uninformed might find it hard to believe that the media could be bullied by an organization such as the SEIU, we have seen evidence of  it recently. As related in The Devil at Our Doorstep, Fox News succumbed to the SEIU’s call for people to boycott Fox’s advertisers unless Fox called off Glenn Beck’s attacks on the SEIU. Glenn Beck, who had arguably the most popular T.V. show in America at the time, was throttled and eventually asked to leave Fox because of these attacks on Fox’s advertisers (reference the SEIU’s site Glenn Beck and Republican Violence).

The fact that the SEIU’s celebration of  comrade Chavez’s passing was not even given a mere mention by the mainstream media, and its indiscriminate attack upon Fox News, are perfect examples of  the SEIU’s  Persuasion of Power ! A power condoned by many state and federal politicians, including the present administration, in exchange for political support. The SEIU, representing both private and public employees, is at the forefront of the battle to save the  Gasping Dinosaurs’ from extinction! The SEIU who realizes that  Public Unions are the last Hope for Big Labor at America’s Expense  has the power and connections in bankrupt states such as California and at the highest level of the federal government to affect policy and ultimately the direction of the American system of government!

While it is understandable that Democratic politicians, whose coffers are funded by SEIU dollars, have remained silent, it is unfathomable that Republican have done the same.  These individuals, who don’t seem to understand it is time to go on the offensive, stood by quietly and let a unique opportunity pass. The Republican party fails to understand that it is time to connect the dots for the American people by presenting a clear picture of organizations like the SEIU, which was instrumental in the President’s re-election, and what it truly represents! Thus, they are failing as a political party and losing their grip on political control in America.

Americans need to wake up to the fact that many politicians including our president buy into the SEIU’s belief of ‘Social Justice” and ultimately socialism/communism as the future for the United States of America as witnessed in the video Obama and the SEIU Sittin’ in a Tree ! This video should leave no doubt in anyone’s mind in what this president believes in , who he supports and the fact he is attempting to destroy the greatest country and opportunity for all people in the history of the world! Unfortunately, The Problem with Socialism is Socialism.  At some point “you run out of other peoples money,” as was so eloquently expressed by the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Margaret Thatcher! It is time for all Americans to connect the dots and realize we have politicians at all levels, especially the current administration, who believe a Chavez-type of government is the most fair and only means of achieving ’social justice.” In truth, they could care less about the poor and downtrodden. Just like Chavez’s regime, all they care about is power and money!

Americans need to wake up and realize we are embroiled in The Cold War Within: The Fight for America’s Future! It is time to connect the dots and understand this administration and its supporters like the SEIU are bent on destroying America as we know it and as our founding fathers envisioned it! America, We are at War! Armageddon is at Hand! Please Wake up before it is too late! We Have Met The Enemy!

Entrepreneurs in the Silicon Valley should pay close attention to the experiences of Dave Bego, the Indiana businessman who started a company from scratch. By 2006, after years of unrelenting toil and sacrifice by Bego and his family, Executive Management Services, Inc. (EMS) had expanded into 38 states and had 5,000 employees. Bego now had something so valuable it became an attractive target for unionization.

Bego’s story, which he has written about in two books and has turned into a one-man information crusade, is not unique. But his decision to fight back is very unusual, and his account of how his company was targeted has gone largely unreported. The details of his fight reveal a frightening lack of legal protection for company owners and their workers from union intimidation, as well as a dated, shamelessly abused set of exemptions shielding over-zealous union organizers from legal sanctions. A UnionWatch article from December 2012, “The Special Privileges And Exemptions of Public Sector Unions,” references several compilations of how unions escape many of the laws that govern the rest of us, but hearing about what actually happened to Dave Bego makes it far less academic.

It is conventional to assume that if somebody is critical of a union’s tactics, they must be anti-union. But even Dave Bego, who fought the SEIU for years, believes that unions have a legitimate role to play in a capitalist democracy. Because Bego, in an ad placed in the Indianapolis Star, offered to hold a secret ballot election among the employees to decide whether or not they wished union representation. As stated publicly in this ad: “EMS is very willing to let its employees vote in a secret ballot election conducted by the federal government to decide whether they want to be members of your union or not… we have encouraged you to seek an election since your first contact with EMS” (view EMS ad).

The problem unions have with a secret ballot election, apparently, is that the union might lose. When union representatives met with Dave Bego, and during all of their subsequent campaign of pressure and intimidation, what they wanted him to do was sign a “neutrality agreement” (view actual neutrality agreement presented to Bego). Here are highlights of what a neutrality agreement does:

• The employer shall not “take any action or make any statement that will directly or indirectly state any opposition by Employer to the election by its Employees of a collective bargaining agent.”
• The employer will sign a letter provided by the union, and distribute this letter to all employees, that is “assuring Employees of Employer’s neutrality in the matter of their union organizing.”
• “Employer shall provide within five (5) business days a list of the names and addresses of all Employees within classifications subject to this Agreement.”
• “…union will then present Employer with signed authorization cards or a petition memorializing individual Employees’ desire to be represented by Union for purposes of collective bargaining.”
• Once the union has submitted union authorization cards from 50% of the employees, if management cannot come to terms with the union during the collective bargaining process, they must submit to binding arbitration.

What a neutrality agreement does is enforce the process known as “card check,” whereby instead of voting in a secret election whether or not employees want union representation, the union organizers gather individual signatures on consent forms. Armed with the home addresses of every single employee, the union has three years to target individuals, one by one, until 50% of them sign the card. This process, currently only legal if and when an employer signs a neutrality agreement, would become law of the land if the union-supported, misleadingly named “Employee Free Choice Act” ever becomes federal law.

Because the unions wanted Bego to sign a neutrality agreement, he refused on principle, because doing so would have denied his employees the right to a secret ballot election. That’s when the troubles started.

As summarized in Bego’s book, “The Devil at Our Doorstep,” the SEIU embarked upon a campaign of persuasion that relied on laws designed to give unions an advantage over employers. Here are some examples of rules that impose double standards on the conduct of unions vs. employers during union organizing campaigns:

• The “Persuader Rule,” which requires employers to publicly disclose all relationships with outside firms who may assist them to resist unionization. Not only are unions exempt from this rule, but because most employers have never encountered a union campaign before, they have no choice but to solicit outside advice on the legal issues as well as on how to effectively communicate with their employees. This rule gives the unions an opportunity to then attack anyone consulting with the employer.
• The “Posting Rule” requires employers to post union provided printed material in their workplace, saying, for example, that all employees have the right to unionize – with contact information. But the employer does not have the right to post anything reminding employees that they are not compelled to vote for unionization.
• Rules prohibiting “Interrogation,” or “Promising,” meaning an employer cannot meet with employees during a union campaign and ask them (i.e., “interrogate” them) what is wrong, or what can be done to improve work conditions. Similarly, during a union campaign an employer cannot remedy work conditions; that is “promising.”
• Unions are exempt in many states from laws that make stalking an individual a crime, as well as laws that make many forms of extortion a crime.

In order to hold a secret election, the union has to get 30% of a company’s employees to sign a petition asking for a vote. To do this, their operatives approached EMS employees – over and over – on their way to work, in the parking lots, and sometimes even followed them home. They enlisted the support of local clergy, who organized blockades of buildings where Bego’s employees worked. Because EMS provides contract janitorial services, the unions organized demonstrations outside these buildings, intimidating the building owners in an attempt to get them to change vendors. They sent letters to the press and to EMS clients alleging “unfair labor practices” which in most if not all cases were without merit. Indeed, in November 2007, EMS filed a set of counter-charges (view EMS Unfair Labor Practice Charges Against SEIU), and in the subsequent NLRB hearing the ruling was in favor of EMS. Even the NLRB felt the union had gone too far.

These “corporate campaigns” occur every day across America. Most employers cannot withstand the pressure from the unions. At one point, the union campaign against EMS included enlisting children on Halloween night to go trick-or-treating in Bego’s neighborhood, and after being given candy, they gave each resident a union flyer.

While Bego has managed to successfully fight the SEIU, at least so far, most people can’t stand up to the intimidation that appears to be standard procedure for unions who operate a corporate campaign. Not only the company owners, but their family, their employees, their suppliers, and their customers face harassment. Sometimes this harassment escalates into vandalism and violence, with laws in place that create for unions a higher threshold before such acts become criminal. But the unions are lobbying for even more laws to assist them in their corporate campaigns. For example:

• Unions have now won the right to form “micro-unions,” where they can carve out small groups of employees and hold a union election. If a union can’t get 30% of an entire retail store to sign cards calling for an election, they can now get 30% of the employees in one department of that store to sign the card, and an election will be held for that particular department.
• Unions are pushing to lower the time period between when cards are submitted requesting an election from 48 days to 18 days; the so-called “Quick Elections” rule. This creates a significant advantage for the unions, because it takes time to communicate to employees that they are not compelled to vote for unionization. Many employees who have signed cards calling for an election believe that they are required to vote for unionization because they signed the card requesting the election.
• Legalizing the “Card check” method of unionization, via the perennially introduced “Employee Free Choice Act,” would enforce the terms of a neutrality agreement on employers without their consent. Unions could then approach employees individually until they collected signatures from 50% of the workforce, eliminating the secret election ballot.

Eliminating unfair union advantages, currently built into federal law, would not necessarily eliminate unions. In a recent speech at an event sponsored by the Heritage Foundation (view speech – begins at 5:40), Bego emphasized that some workplaces probably would benefit from unionization. But unions must play by the same rules as the companies they negotiate with, employees should have a right to a secret ballot in elections concerning unions, and nobody should be forced to join a union.

Silicon Valley entrepreneurs come from a variety of ideological leanings, but it is accurate to state that most of them support Democratic political candidates. Perhaps this, combined with their extraordinary personal wealth, blinds them to the agenda of unions, despite the fact that public sector unions already control California’s state and most of its local governments and their unsustainable financial demands are contributing to the insolvency of those institutions.

If the Silicon Valley business elite want to maintain control of the companies they founded, and preserve the vitality of the new industries they helped create, they should take a careful look at the proper role of unions in 21st century America. Because the rules governing unions and union organizing are at a tipping point. If union-friendly legislation continues to emanate from Washington D.C., and Sacramento, the Silicon Valley may find itself on the front lines of a battle for which they are entirely unprepared.

Published via UnionWatch.org by ED RING on MARCH 11, 2013

Click here to see the original post.

The group engaged in a roundtable discussion where participants were provided an opportunity to ask questions about The Devil at Our Doorstep and my personal experiences with the SEIU. They wanted to better understand  how my company was able to rein in the intimidation tactics utilized by big labor during a Corporate Campaign, methods supported by recent NLRB decisions to force unionize employees though Card Check. As the discussion evolved, there were many suggestions on ways to eliminate the brutal campaign tactics. This included passage of a National Right-To-Work law (NRTW), embracing Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations lawsuits (RICO) and, at a state level, passage of laws intended to prohibit bullying and intimidation by labor bosses. James Sherk of The Heritage Foundation proposed that we should modify state extortion and blackmail laws to include unions, which are currently not implicated under labor law. This would prohibit pressure campaigns which are designed to force an employer to surrender, rather than trying to persuade the employees to unionize.

Although I am in favor of a National Right to Work Law and some of the additional legislation proposed by the participants, I noted some possible concerns. While NRTW is a potent tool to protect employees, it does not have the teeth to hold its own against the big labor bullies. NRTW merely eliminates the “security clause” in collective bargaining agreements, effectively allowing employees to opt out of the union if they so desire. NRTW does not, however, eliminate the “check off” clause that big labor utilizes to keep employees tethered to the union. This is a clause that big labor demands in its collective bargaining agreements because it forces the unionized entity to deduct union dues from the employees’ paychecks and submit them to the union, unless the employee openly declares he or she does not want to be a part of the union. This may sound simple, but due to behind the scene intimidation tactics used by big labor bosses at the workplace, very few employees will actually opt out and request non-union status. The big labor bosses don’t want to acknowledge that Collective Bargaining is a Privilege, Not a Right, fearing that members would vote with their pocket books and against the unions if these agreements were truly negotiated to benefit the members!

The “check off” clause is imperative to unions and is found in almost all collective bargaining agreements. With this clause, unions do not have to expend the time and money for accountants to bill and collect dues from the employee. More importantly, it is a guaranteed revenue steam that is not contingent on them providing a service to its membership. Unlike a typical business operating in a free market system that has to provide an acceptable product or service in order to be paid, big labor bosses do not have to worry about such inconveniences. Instead, they use intimidation to keep the membership in line and the money from dues flowing! If big labor actually had to collect its own dues, the members would react to its poor service as customers do when a business provides poor service, they would quit buying or in this case quit paying!

“To force a man to furnish contributions of money towards the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves is both sinful and tyrannical.” – Thomas Jefferson

This fact was made quite evident in two major instances, although neither was widely reported by the mainstream media. In the first year of Governor Mitch Daniels’ (R-IN) first term he eliminated the “check off” clause for public employees by Executive Order. Within the first year, approximately 90% of public employees quit paying union dues. They obviously were not pleased with the services provided. Not long thereafter, Governor Scott Walker (R-WI), achieved essentially the same result through legislation during the first years of his first term in office. Unions in Wisconsin immediately saw approximately a 30% drop in their membership when members voted with their pocketbooks and stopped sending monthly dues to the unions. Joe Brock, a former union organizer, succinctly summed up big labors’ pathetic record and inability to keep members without intimidation and coercion when he said, “If unions could do what they really say, instead of a 6.6% membership rate in the private sector, the union halls would look like Wal-Mart on Black Friday!”

Dianna Furchtgott-Roth of The Manhattan Institute, pointed out that RTW states not only have the highest employment growth over the last 4-5 years, but they also have the highest growth rate for union membership! The statistics she presented were absolutely astonishing, but few people likely picked up on the significance and reason behind the union growth in these states. Since employees aren’t required to join unions in RTW states, more companies are relocating to these RTW states. However, this actually provides unions new and fertile ground, as witnessed with the Boeing case in South Carolina. Despite the fact that a state or country is RTW, the law does nothing to prevent big labor Corporate Campaigns to force unionize employees and employers. In fact, as discussed by Russ Brown of The Labor Relations Institute, these campaigns are being exported all over the world as big labor becomes more and more desperate to reverse its dwindling membership!

It may come as a surprise to note that most union employees that are under the pressure and intimidation from big labor bosses will choose not to opt out of the union! The intimidation from union stewards and public employees paid to conduct union business on the job prevents employees from opting out of the union. As a part of any collective bargaining agreement, these people should not be allowed access to employees on the job! As Dianna described in her talking points, these public employees or Official Time Loafers contribute nothing to government except to further union goals and intimidate current employees to remain with the union, all at a cost to the taxpayers of approximately $156 Million each year. These are the jobs we should target to reduce government spending!

The lesson to be learned is that when the free market is allowed to work and people are free from intimidation, they vote with their conscience. It is easy for big labor to intimidate and keep members when they have guaranteed means of collecting dues. However, when big labor is forced into a situation where they have to collect union dues on their own, it cannot accomplish the task! Even more important, this puts unions in a position where they must provide the service expected by the members and utilize dues for the employee’s benefit. If unions were to adopt this type of free market mentality, they would likely see their membership grow, without the use of intimidation and coercion. Unfortunately, they have no desire or understanding utilizing such an approach, hence the need to eliminate the “check off” clauses in any future RTW bills.

Obviously, this would be a highly contested issue as the President and the Democratic Party depend heavily on big labor for political contributions, political support and ground game. It is certain that the White House would block any attempt to pass a NRTW law, or any legislation that would eliminate the coveted “check off” clause. They know that big labor cannot compete without its bullying intimidation tactics, and in a true free market society, unions would become extinct. It is time to level the playing field for all Americans by passing a National Right to Work law that also prohibits dues “check off” clauses, because Right to Work Is A Basic American Freedom!

New Video Footage Featuring David Bego

Hosted by The Heritage Foundation

To their credit, members of the mainstream media have pointed out certain misinformation the President provided in his speech, most notably with regards to the Administration’s supposed creation of six million jobs – while failing to address the increased unemployment rate – and the President’s assertion that the deficit had been reduced by 2.5 Trillion dollars when it has actually increased. There has been some recognition in the media that many of the President’s proposals would reap great benefit and reward to the President’s “Big Labor” allies. This includes high priority items on the President’s agenda, such as increases in education spending, infrastructure “Fix it First” programs, pre-school programs, an increase in the minimum wage, and green energy and immigration reform.

While the media has opened its eyes to some of these favors the President is pulling out for Big Labor – the minimum wage proposal is a favorite of Big Labor, because it would give them leverage for future contract negotiations – they fail to understand that the Obama Administration is effectively running a campaign on the American people. The push for an increase to the minimum wage, for example, is an old trick used by Big Labor when trying to force unionize employees. In the realm of labor organizing, Big Labor organizers will spin the misinformation to promise employees a wage increase if they vote for union representation. Ultimately, however, any increase which may be achieved comes with job losses or reductions in hours, as the business has not budgeted for the increase and can not simply absorb the financial hit. It is a give and take. The President’s “campaign” to increase the minimum wage likewise sounds great on the surface as he  promises misinformed Americans that he will get them a raise by increasing the minimum wage if they support him and his benefactors! He has failed, however, to tell Americans that such an increase will not simply be absorbed by businesses; that such an increase will be met with job reductions, terminations, cutting of hours and benefits, and other actions that will certainly increase the nation’s unemployment numbers. Businesses simply cannot afford to absorb this additional cost, particularly when it is coupled with the President’s tax increases, the cost of Obamacare, and the additional regulatory costs he is imposing. All of which is a convenient lack of information by the President, his administration, and their labor supporters!

Even more concerning is that the media has overlooked the biggest hypocrisy of all! In his discussion of gun control, the President turned to point out the families of victims from areas dramatically affected by gun violence, including Aurora, Newtown, Oak Creek, Tucson and others, and demanded that, “They deserve a vote.”  On this issue, the President is absolutely correct. They do deserve a vote, as do all Americans, on all aspects of government.  In actuality, however, the President’s rhetoric is just another instance of the President’s “do as I say not as I do” mentality. There is no doubt that these incidents are tragedies and our collective hearts go out to the families and victims. However, the hypocrisy surfaces when the President threatens to use an Executive Order to control guns, under the guise of “they deserve a vote.”

It is there that the hypocrisy lies. This President will rally the cry of “they deserve a vote” when it fits his agenda, but when the situation does not, he will take whatever action is necessary to accomplish his objectives. The President had no regard for “they deserve a vote” when he unconstitutionally made recess-appointments to the National Labor Relations Board, without the consent of Congress. And he does not care about the deserving vote of millions of employees and companies when it comes to deciding whether the employees wish to have a union to represent them in negotiations with their employer. Instead, the President believes in and has pressed the union’s agenda to pass Card Check. The card check process circumvents the fundamental right for employees to decide if they want union representation by voting in a secret ballot election, and instead allows Big Labor to impose its will upon unsuspecting employees and employers. A process, which involves intimidation, misinformation, pressure and mandate! This process guarantees exponential increases in dues-paying members for the unions and political payback for the President.

The President advocates “they deserve a vote” when it is in his best interest or to complete part of his agenda, as in the case of gun control, but not when it interferes with his “social justice” agenda and/or payback to his Big Labor buddies. In the President’s warped world, it is perfectly fine to allow a vote on ideas he champions and believes he can win, but not on agendas he knows he and his Big Labor buddies cannot win. What kind of political system does this resemble, Socialism, Communism, Dictatorship? The President is advocating that the rules of the game be changed when they don’t suit him. The President knows he would not win the popular vote on gun control, but extends the fig leaf knowing he will ultimately invoke Executive Order to achieve his plans. In the meantime, he utilizes popular rhetoric to his advantage.

Conversely, he knows allowing employees to vote to decide if they want union representation will not fulfill his agenda of Big Labor payback and “social justice” so he cannot champion “they deserve a vote.” Instead, he is intent on bypassing our time tested and revered three branch system of government, which provides checks and balances, to pursue Card Check through the regulatory process. This is a President who has little regard for the Constitution and basic American freedoms; a President who is willing to impose his will to achieve his agenda and the agendas of his benefactors in order to fundamentally change America. Sadly, the freedoms of all Americans are being taken   through the flowery rhetoric and misleading propaganda of a President trained in Big Labor tactics.  It is hypocrisy at the highest level!

For more information, visit www.thedevilatourdoorstep.com.

Ironically, the SEIU was the President’s major supporter for the Democratic Presidential Nomination in 2008. In fact, Andy Stern, then president of the SEIU, made it very clear that the SEIU would not support any candidate that would not make universal health care its primary objective during the first term of office. Then Presidential candidate, Senator Barack Obama leapt on board, knowing full well he not only needed the financial support of the largest union in the country, but also its vaunted ground game! Although his campaign was supported by the other unions, all of which also supported universal health care, the devil is in the details and when the SEIU saw an opportunity, they took it.

The difference between the SEIU and the other major players now wary of Obamacare, unions such as the Teamsters, AFL-CIO, Unite Here, The Sheet Metal Workers International, International Union of Operating Engineers and others, is that the SEIU represents a majority of unionized workers in the U.S. health care industry! The SEIU not only represents nurses, orderlies and other medical personnel at healthcare facilities, but also other important and necessary support positions at these facilities such as janitors, security personnel and food service workers! Additionally, the SEIU represents home health care workers and health insurance employees in many states (see Is Obamacare Redistributing Wealth to Big Labor?).

Universal health care was envisioned as a veritable jackpot by the SEIU as they envisioned the positions mentioned previously would expand exponentially with the projected 30 million new Americans on health care!! This would serve as a means to substantially increase the SEIU’s membership and subsequent revenues from dues in a relatively short period of time. Of course this bonanza also meant increased political donations and ground game foot soldiers for the President and the Democratic Party. Everyone thought the President was only pushing for Obamacare because he believed in “social justice” and cared about the millions of people who supposedly had no access to health care, but as many of the Big Labor bosses are now realizing, the “narcissist-in-chief” only cares about one person, himself!

Incidentally, it is common knowledge that very rarely were people turned down care at emergency facilities and that Medicaid was already available for those in need, obviously one of the major reasons Medicaid was insolvent. Don’t misunderstand; it is important that affordable health care be available to all legal Americans who wish to be covered. However, available coverage for all could have been achieved through allowing freedom of choice, and not a mandate. As for affordability, we could have accomplished this feat by removing barriers to the free market, utilizing ideas to eliminate restrictions on competition across state lines, develop legislation for tort reform and produce meaningful modifications to the immigration laws. Unfortunately, this common sense type approach does not work for the President, liberal democrats or unions like the SEIU, who all depend upon each other for survival. America can only hope the uninformed electorate wakes up to see that the President and his liberal supporters will run over their own supporters (i.e. union members) and will continue to run over the American people until they achieve their ultimate goal of totalitarianism.

Don’t be surprised if the President and his Administration don’t reverse field in an attempt to find a way to placate the currently disenfranchised Big Labor bosses. After all, it is imperative that they keep the circular money pump in motion in order to stay in power and avoid extinction, no matter the expense to the American people, including rank and file union members. Maybe Americans will begin to feel a similar sense of buyer’s remorse and wake up to the fact this President, with his eloquent prose, will promise people what they want to obtain their vote and the next minute run over them with a steamroller. He and his major supporters like the SEIU have no ethics or integrity and only care about their socialistic agenda and ultimate survival. America, before you go to the polls next time, “Caveat Empetor!”