Union Officials Getting Rich

President Barack Obama is on pace to set a record for using his office to advance the agenda of the big union bosses. No one was surprised that he was on their side, but the extent of his affinity for their anti-liberty agenda is absolutely shocking!

During the 2008 campaign, Candidate Obama said that recess appointments lacked credibility. Now President Obama made a recess appointment of SEIU Attorney Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board after being overwhelmingly rejected by the Senate.

The Stimulus bill included a provision stating that all infrastructure projects funded by the bill must utilize union labor. This is clearly not meant to stimulate anything other than the union bosses wallets. Union workers are out- numbered by nonunion workers by over 2-1. This "Stimulus" package does nothing for non-union construction workers.

Most recently, the President has taken Executive Fiat to a whole new level. For the last 75 years, unionization under the National Railway Labor Act took place when, in a secret ballot election, 50% plus one of all the members of the bargaining unit voted to unionize. Now, because of President Obama, only a majority of those voting are required to accomplish unionization.

Confused? Here’s how this would play out: Assume there are 100 workers. For three quarters of a century, 51 voting Yes would have been the requirement. Now, if only 10 workers showed up to cast ballots, a mere six voting in favor could unionize the remaining 94.

In any definition of representative democracy, including most unions, this would never pass muster.

Why this vast assumption of power to radically change the rules now? On what factual basis has it been determined that pushbutton unionism is either desired by employees or in the best interests of liberty and the economy?

The truth is that individual freedom of association is harmed, not advanced by these moves – that collectivism has somehow been determined to be favorable to individual choice though there is no evidence to demonstrate that this is what individuals in or entering the workplace want.

It is anathema to individual liberty and responsibility. Further, there is no support for this among job creators.

Stimulus moneys in the billions, huge increases in our national debt, government takeover of private sector businesses have brought about an unprecedented pushback from individuals coast-to-coast and border-to-border already. This latest move to change the fundamental underpinnings of labor law will only add to the disconnect between We the People and DC.

It is change, certainly. But it isn’t change for the better.

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Contact Mrs. Staub at [email protected] for more information or to arrange a speaking engagement for your group or organization. Visit the website at www.PARightToWork.org. Pennsylvanians for Right to Work is funded solely by voluntary membership donations and is not affiliated with any other Right to Work organization.