EmployerReport.com's Breaking News & Labor Day Update

Dear Readers:

While we're culling the news for the hottest stories to post for you, after watching the rock-n-roll extravaganza that was Barack Obama's coronation (...er...acceptance) speech last night, we thought we'd take a moment and share some breaking news:

After several hours of speculation this morning, the surprise is now official:

GOP Candidate John McCain has chosen Alaska's GOP Governor and Maverick Mom Sarah Palin to be his running mate...

Given the vast disappointment over Hillary Clinton's primary defeat by her supporters, McCain's pick of Palin for a partner makes the race for the White House much more interesting.

In other news we're covering for you this week:

Union Bosses to Members: If you don't for Obama, you must be a racist.

An interesting phenomena has been developing over the last few months that few (if any) in the media have picked up on and that is the fact that, for the last couple of months, union bosses are seemingly telling their members that, if you don't vote for Barack Obama, you must be a racist. While we know that several unions have a long history of racism (see related blog here), to imply that any union member who may disagree with Barack Obama's (union-controlled) agenda for America is a racist seems, to us, a bit over-the-top.

We first noticed this trend emerging back in July when AFL-CIO #2 Boss Richard Trumka spoke at the United Steelworkers convention and said: You see brothers and sisters, there’s not a single good reason for any worker — especially any union member — to vote against Barack Obama. There’s only one really bad reason to vote against him: because he’s not white.

Then, earlier this week, Teamsters' Boss Jimmy Hoffa made the comment: "There
are people who are not going to vote for him because he's black. And we've got to hope that we can educate people to put aside their racism and to put their own interests No. 1."

Not to be outdone, AFL-CIO Boss Trumka repeated his July sentiments this week by saying: "There are a lot of white voters out there, some of them union members, who think that he's the wrong race," Trumka told roughly 70 delegates and their guests. "As Democrats, we can't tap-dance around the fact that there are some faces out there just like that woman ... They're scared to death. They want change. They
need change. But they just can't get past the notion that voting for a black man
named Barack Obama is the only way to do that."

The UAW's Ron Gettlefinger was less blunt when he merely stated: Whatever
issues might keep union members from voting for Obama, they need to be addressed simply by education. He said, "We just want to make sure they know what they're doing" because once the election is over, it's over. [Apparently, Mr.
Gettlefinger (like many other union bosses) believes that union members can't
think for themselves--ed.]

Then, of course, there's AFSCME's Gerald McEntee who, before she dropped out of the race, was one of Hillary Clinton's more ardent supporters--even going so far as bragging that "We kicked (Obama-backer Andy Stern's) ass from one end of Ohio to the other, and in Texas, too.''

McEntee, despite spending tens of millions of his union's money to defeat Obama earlier this year, is now a full-blown Obama supporter.

McEntee, in his typical crude fashion, had this to say earlier this week: “There are some local union presidents that are afraid — yes, that’s the word, afraid — to hand out literature for Barack Obama,” said McEntee.

McEntee said union members need to consider Obama’s voting record on labor issues, not his race.

“You can’t vote for Barack Obama because he’s black? That’s bulls--t. Absolute
bulls--t,” said McEntee to a standing ovation from the crowd.

McEntee said that the race between Obama and McCain should not be close and that the Democrat should have a much bigger lead in the polls. “We have to wake up, wake up our own members,” said McEntee. “It’s a no-brainer, a no-brainer.”

He said unions will be in deep trouble if Obama is defeated for the presidency.“If
we don’t win those states — excuse my language, I know it’s early — but we will
be in the proverbial s--thouse for the next four years,” McEntee said.

There you have it folks. While we agree that voting for or against anyone due to their race (or sex) is wrong, what union bosses seem to be ignoring are these simple facts:

• Approximately 40% of union members are registered Republicans--many of whom may disagree with Obama's agenda.


• Union members are not necessarily racist, if they do not support a black candidate


• Many of the union members that union bosses are talking about may not be
  "union junkies" as union bosses wish they were, but are actually forced to
  belong to unions (or be fired) as a condition of employment. Therefore, for
  union bosses to expect a lock-step march from their forced membership is simply and presumptuously wrong-headed.

As a final message for you as you begin your three-day Labor Day weekend:

Every Labor Day weekend, the media bombards us with stories about unions and their past and current roles in society. This year, due to the union effort to take over the federal government and enact the anti-democratic (and hallucinogenically-named) Employee Free Choice Act, you will see more than the usual plethora of pro-labor stories in the media. As a result, and as we've done for the past several years, we offer you the following op-ed by Fredric Hamber: On Labor Day, We Should Honor Man's Mind, Not Men's Muscles, as the Real Source of Wealth and Progress... For those who know us, you already know that this op-ed has been a favorite of ours for a number of years and we thought many of our new subscribers would value its perspective.

For more union-related news stories, be sure to go to EmployerReport.com.

On behalf of EmployerReport.com, we hope you have a safe and very relaxing long weekend.

EmployerReport.com EOW: Is Change Afoot?

Dear readers:

Before sharing some of the top news we're posting for you on EmployerReport.com, we'd like to give a hearty welcome to our new e-mail update subscribers. As most of our readers already know, EmployerReport.com was launched on Labor Day 2006 to provide a free news-posting web site to awaken the public to the radical agenda of today's union bosses, including the hallucinogenically-named Employee Free Choice Act. Although we strive hard to update EmployerReport.com daily (M-F), our updates are sent out only as time and news warrant.

To that end, we're pleased to announce that, over these past two years, we've had more than 27,000 hits to EmployerReport.com, as well as received many compliments from the readers of our blog (as well as the occasional misguided insult from the occasional union junkie). While we had hoped that more people over these past two years would visit EmployerReport.com, we are mindful that our site is not one of those compensable enterprises launched to be profitable and is run with minimal monetary investment and a whole lot time. Alas, unlike unions which are spending $1 billion to take over the U.S. government, ours is a labor of...er...necessity to do our part to counter the union-made propaganda.

Now, on to the news...

While we have far too many stories posted on EmployerReport.com to report on here, there are several that have piqued our interest:

On Politics...

• Today, Hillary Clinton supporters have even more to be angry about than the primary loss of their candidate as politico.com is reporting that the Democrat Dream Ticket of Obama & Clinton was never even under consideration as the Obama campaign never bothered to ask Clinton for a "single piece of paper" to 'vet' her for the position of veep.


• As Democrats conventioneers head to Denver for their party's party, it would appear that the DNC convention will be more union convention than a politcal party's convention, as the AFL-CIO is boasting that 25% of convention delegates will be union members, while we believe it is demonstrative of the DNC's abhorrence of American business, the National Review is reporting that not a single businessman, entrepreneur, or private sector innovator will be speaking during the DNC's confab.


• ...And in the who-would-have-thought-it-was-possible category, a new Reuters/Zogby poll has GOP candidate John McCain up by 5%...


• This leads us to an observation we've been making over the past few weeks: Unlike other presidential elections in the past, we've noticed a large lacking of political bumper stickers on cars, trucks and the like. In fact, after just returning from a 1,000 mile ride to Maine and back, among all of the vehicles we passed to and fro that chilly state, we counted a mere three Obama bumper stickers and NO McCain stickers the entire trip. (We'd like to know: Are you observing the same phenom?)


• Speaking of Maine: Our trip to Maine was taken for both business and pleasure (ie. the ability to ride the Harleys to points far away is a powerful motivator) and it pleased us to see within 30 minutes of hotel check-in three ads targeting the anti-secret ballot/pro-EFCA senatorial candidate in that state (you can view the ad by going here). This gives us some hope that people are starting to wake up to Big Labor's scheme to unionize America's workers through the elimination of a secret-ballot election. As many of our readers already know, and a few new ones may not, the battle as to whether the moronically-named Employee Free Choice Act passes may hinge on the ability for the GOP to filibuster this job-killing legislation while union bosses are trying to reduce the number of GOP senators to make the Senate "filibuster proof." [Note to those of you who, like us, slept through high school civics: If the GOP falls below 40 seats in the Senate and Obama wins the White House, EFCA will pass unhindered and you can expect markets to plummet and more jobs to disappear.]

EFCA Update:

• Yesterday, according to the NAM's ShopFloor, union junkies were up to their normal shenanigans trying to intimidate pro-secret-ballot ralliers.


• A video you need to pass along: Although we lean very much toward the Libertarian mindset, this video was posted by the NRSC a few weeks ago, we've been shocked that only 3,400 people have viewed it. If you haven't seen the video, you need to. Once you've seen it, you should pass it along...because it is the clearest video out there to demonstrate the importance of this election. This, by the way, is not an endorsement of the NRSC or that party, it is just an excellent video on EFCA. This and most other good EFCA-related videos are posted on EmployerReport.com' EFCA page.

As stated above, there are far too many stories posted on EmployerReport.com to list here so you are encouraged to peruse EmployerReport.com to read them. However, here are a few that you might find of interest:

• SEIU MEMBERS VOTE TO STRIKE LAX...


• 'SEIU is corrupt,' says rival union's ads...


• SEIU used students 'like pawns,' say student activists...


• Duuude: UNITE-HERE protests new luxury hotel in Santa Cruz...


• Another racist union member hangs another noose in Philly...


• FUNERAL HELD FOR STRIKER, AS PARTIES AGREE TO MEDIATION...


• Final Countdown: Boeing and IAM in round-the-clock negotiations...


• CARPENTERS' UNION THUGS BEAT MEMBER OUTSIDE OF CHURCH...

...and one from last week that we believe bears repeating and passing along to your friends in "right-to-work" states...

• EMPLOYER ALERT: BILL TO ELIMINATE RIGHT-TO-WORK STATES SECRETLY INTRODUCED IN HOUSE...

On our blog, you'll find this story around some others we've posted: BLOG: Wal-Mart's Fight For the Truth Should be YOUR Fight Too...

With that, dear readers, we wish you a very best of weekends.

EmployerReport.com
"I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes." -- Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

Wal-Mart's Fight For the Truth Should be YOUR Fight Too

Over these past few weeks, the labor movement and its leftist allies have finally outdone themselves in their sheer hypocrisy. By decrying meetings that retail giant Wal-Mart has had with its managers to talk about this November’s election and the consequences of the hallucinogenically-named Employee Free Choice Act, unions are attempting to have their cake and eat it too...

By pressing the Federal Election Commission to investigate whether or not Wal-Mart violated federal election laws, unions are also putting all employers on notice that you have no right to talk to your employees (or managers) on a bill that may negatively affect your business and put employees' jobs at risk--if that bill is something that union bosses want, that is.

While all media accounts seem to agree that (unlike union bosses) Wal-Mart never told its managers who to vote for, it did talk about the ramifications of EFCA on its company. According to union shill American Rights at Work's Mary Beth Maxwell, Wal-Mart "adapted their unionbusting tactics to influence our federal election system."

WHAT?!? Wal-Mart is but one company. Yet, no one apparently sees the blatant hypocrisy of that statement as union bosses spend an estmated a billion dollars of their members' money to "influence our federal election system."

While unions seemingly would rather ignore the truth, here it is:

• The Truth is: Unions have mounted an unprecented campaign to drastically alter America's union organizing system through the moronically-named Employee Free Choice Act


• The Truth is: If EFCA passes, unions will have the unfettered ability to attack compnies and browbeat their workers into signing union authorization cards


• The Truth is: Union bosses have promised, cajoled, and even threatened lawmakers into passing this measure. If lawmakers do not support it, union bosses have earmarked $10 million for efforts to oust them.


• The Truth is: EFCA will make many businesses that become unionized uncompetitive, since unionization raises the 'administrative costs' of doing business anywhere from 15% to 30%.


• The Truth is: EFCA also contains one of the most job-killing pieces of legislation ever called for--binding arbitration.


• The Truth is: EFCA will set the stage for labor battles like those in the 1930s to take place as, once an EFCA-imposed contract expires at those companies that can survive, strikes and lockouts will become more commonplace.


• The Truth is: EFCA is merely a way for labor union bosses to bring more money into their coffers and has nothing to do with freedom.


• The Truth is: Unions have already cost countless workers their jobs in heavily unionized industries.


• The Truth is: EFCA will cost more Americans their jobs.


• The Truth is: Union bosses do not want people to know the truth!

While unions often squeal like stuck Arkansas razorbacks when their opponents use the same tactics the unions use, this instant case goes beyond the bounds of normal union hypocrisy. Further, if the unions win this battle against this employer telling the truth, then all Americans should be concerned. For, if the union bosses and their like-minded ilk win this battle and companies are prohibited from telling the truth, the all Americans will lose as truth will have no place in America any longer.

____________________

For more union-related news, go to EmployerReport.com

Charges Filed Against Communications Workers of America (CWA) For Retaliating Against Workers

The National Right to Work Foundation has posted an excellent example of what commonly happens to workers who oppose today's union bosses by refraining from union membership.

Ironically, the case involved the alma mater of yours truly, the Communications Workers of America (CWA). As a former CWA union 'enforcer' in a Right-to-Work state, it is not hard to believe how these workers were intimidated, as non-union workers were a constant targeted in our local union.

Although the union called them 'membership drives,' it was nothing more than a pure campaign of targeting these workers through persuasion, intimidation (especially for those who crossed our picket line in 1986) and, in some cases, unlawful extortion as non-members would routinely have their grievances conveniently 'dropped' if they refused to sign up.

Additionally, non-members had their names routinely published at the union hall and given to the union stewards in eacd department while bounties of $15 per card were offered to any member who would get the "free-loaders" or "scabs" (as they were commonly referred to as) to sign up with the union.

Although publishing social security numbers is not something that I can recall, the workers in this video are sharing with you what was, in our case, not beyone the bounds of propriety.



Note: While these workers (and those who work in the 22 Right-to-Work states) are still legally able to refrain from union membership, their rights may soon be eliminated by a secretly introduced bill in Congress that, if enacted, will eliminate their right-to-work status.

See post below.
_______________

For more union-related news, go to EmployerReport.com

WORKERS IN 22 STATES MAY BE FORCED TO JOIN UNIONS AS BILL IN CONGRESS TO ELIMINATE STATES' RIGHT-TO-WORK STATUS IS SECRETLY INTRODUCED

Unions: Pay Us Or Be Fired!

Going largely unnoticed in the media and blogosphere over these past few weeks is a bill that was introduced in the House of Representatives on July 10th which, if enacted, will eliminate the Right-to-Work provisions of the 1947 Labor Management Relations Act (better known as the Taft-Hartley Amendments). To view the bill, click here.

While the bill has little chance of passing before 2009, it should send a clear warning to workers and employers in the 22 "Right-to-Work" states that labor bosses at the AFL-CIO and Change to Win federations are hell bent on requiring workers to pay dues or be fired.

Some readers may not understand the ramifications of this, so here is a brief explanation of Right-to-Work versus Non-Right-to-Work:

Prior to the Taft-Hartley Amendments to the National Labor Relations Act, it was legal for unions in all 50 states (48 at the time) to negotiate "union (income) security" clauses into collective bargaining agreements (CBA), which requires all workers covered by a CBA to finance the union through dues or fees or be fired. In essence, if a workers fails to pay the union, the union (under the CBA) has the right to require the employer to terminate the employee.

In 1947, over President Truman's veto, Congress amended the NLRA by passing the Taft-Hartley (LMRA) amendments. This allowed states, for the first time, to pass so-called "right-to-work" laws, which enable workers to work at a unionized employer without being fired for refusing to pay union dues.

There are currently 22 Right-to-Work states. To see a map of which states provide the freedom to pay or not pay a union without the threat of termination, click here.

If unions succeed in getting their union-backed candidates elected this fall and this bill passes, workers who choose to keep their own money from the pockets of the union bosses will suddenly be faced with the choice to either pay union dues or be fired.

Clearly, the agenda of today's union bosses is to force workers into unions by any means possible--be it the hallucinogenically-named Employee Free Choice Act, the equally moronically-named Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act (HR 980) (which forces unionization on state and municipal police, fire and EMS personnel) or the elimination of workers' choice to refrain from paying dues in Right-to-Work states.

Union bosses now dictate the agenda of the Democrat Party's candidates making the November elections determinative as to whether union bosses get their way with the American worker.

____________________

Hat-tip to Bret at Maverick Solutions for alerting us to this.

For more union-related news, go to EmployerReport.com

Labor Union Update & Alligators, Wolves & Bears (Oh MY!)...

It's been a hearty couple of weeks since our last missive to you and, at the bottom of this post, we'll share our (near) experiences with the alligators, bears, wolves and a very, very juicy bug.

In the meantime, here's a breakdown of a few of the stories we're posting for you on EmployerReport.com:

Edwards Admits to Schtupping the Help While Wife Stumps for Him...All at Hillary's (and Her Supporters') Expense:

If you saw the news over the weekend (or visited EmployerReport.com), you may have noticed that former union darling and presidential (and VP) candidate John Edwards has finally admitted to having an affair with a videographer hired to document his campaign. According Edwards, he "made a serious error in judgment and conducted myself in a way that was disloyal to my family and to my core beliefs" and that he "started to believe that I was special and became increasingly egocentric and narcissistic." We certainly won't argue with that statement since Mr. Edwards had the sick audacity to have his cancer-ridden wife Elizabeth Edwards constantly stumping for him on the campaign trail while he, of course, was 'busy elsewhere'.

However, according to the statement, apparently Mr. Edwards doesn't feel he was disloyal to his supporters or fellow Democrats.

Additionally, Hillary Clinton (and her supporters) must also be infuriated at both Edwards and the media because, as Howard Wolfson (Clinton's former communications Director) told ABCNews.com, if Edwards hadn't lied for the past year, "we would have won Iowa, and Clinton today would therefore have been the nominee." Wolfson goes on to state that he is mystified about the failure of the national media to pursue the story as it has allegations of other candidates' affairs. "I can't say I understand the rules of the media and I'm not sure they do either," he said.

Since we posted this story on EmployerReport.com when it hit the news on the Drudge Report last December, we happen to agree with Wolfson's ruminations about Big Media's blanket dismissal of the story. It would appear that Wolfson's speculation is correct in that, were Edwards truthful about his dalliances, many of Edwards former supporters would have voted for Hillary in the primaries and, therefore, she (and not Barack Obama) would be the Democratic nominee. [Editor's note: Although he should, we suppose that Mr. Obama will not be sending John Edwards and his former lover a 'Thank You' note for keeping the lid on the truth for so long.]

In other news:

• According to the Statesman Journal, "Nobody is grinning wider about Barack Obama’s lead in the polls than big union bosses. This election is their best shot in a half-century to make over Washington, D.C." while the Milwaukee's Examiner.com writes about Union Bosses' Swarm Offense, stating that "National union leaders have been using the Democrat majority that took control in 2006 to lay the legislative ground work for their biggest push in Congress since the Carter administration, beginning after the November elections."


• In New York, just hours away from a 65,000 union-member strike, telephone giant Verizon obtained an agreement with its unions (the CWA and IBEW) that enables the company to control healthcare costs, while giving the unions more members.


• In Ohio, unions are continuing their efforts to cripple more companies in an already-down economy by pushing for a paid sick leave law.


• In Las Vegas, a woman's "15 minutes of fame" have apparently expired as the Laborers union is exposed in a story of how workers are sometimes used and left in the dust by unions seeking their own agenda.


• In Arizona, a judge has permanently barred the Town of Cave Creek's from enforcing its ban on solicitation that critics say unfairly targeted Latino immigrants from seeking day laborer jobs. Meanwhile, Los Angeles has passed a new ordinance stating that any new home improvement centers must have 'day laborer shelters.' The shelters must be "easily accessible and equipped with drinking water, bathrooms, tables with seating and trash facilities."

And, lastly, in the news-that-never-ceases-to-amaze-us category:

• The United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) representing workers at a Tyson plant in Tennessee has opted to negotiate away one of unions' most cherished of holidays (Labor Day), in exchange for the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr.

Now, on to our Life on the Road (aka our aforementioned Alligators, Bears, Wolves and one very, very juicy bug) Saga...

As many of our readers who know us personally know, we are what can only be described as avid Harley-Davidson enthusiasts (sometimes called 'bikers'). As such, whenever possible, we prefer the two-wheeled method of transportation over the four-wheeled 'cage' that most are accustomed to. That said, last week, a vacation of sorts to the Outer Banks of North Carolina consumed yours truly.

Being that it was an awesome week, full of sunshine and plenty of pirate-fun for the whole "fam" (can you say 'argh'?!?), we decided to trailer the hog down to the beach. [Yes, we know that trailers don't mix with real bikers, but we figured that strapping surfboards and children to the back of the bike would not be legally permissible in most states...even though it was considered for a moment or three.]

Well, as with most vacations, duty usually calls and a client commitment was made to conduct a Union Update meeting in Greensboro.

Hmmm. Outer Banks to Greensboro: 320 miles X 2 = 640 miles of good riding in two days...No problemo! And, as sometimes happens, what sounded like a helluva good time sort of turned into Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

The adventure began on Tuesday morning with the ritualistic loading of the gear, donning the helmet and turning the i-pod to the Metallica playlist...way loud. Forty-Five minutes later, the Outer Banks (OBX) were in the rearview and the Harley was roaring the bridge from Roanoke Island to the Mainland. Then came the bizarre...

Being from the great American Southwest, we're used to seeing all kinds of signs marking road hazards, wild creatures, and assorted things like that. However, within a moment of crossing over to the mainland of North Carolina, it became a trip of....WTF!?! Here's why:

First road sign that we passed stated: Alligator River. Huh? Being that there was no shoulder on the side of the road, only some grass leading to the aforementioned Alligator River, this raised the hairs on the back of the neck only slightly...

Second road sign of note (a mile or so down the road): "It is illegal to feed the bears on the side of the road" (WHAT?!?)...One might wonder (as did I), why would there be bears by the side of the road??...Let alone, WHY would any one want to feed the bears by the side of the road???

Third road sign (a few miles further): "Red Wolf Crossing Next Three Miles". (Multiple thoughts screaming through the brain at this point...)

Fourth road sign (about when the 'Red Wolf Crossing Next Three Miles' expired): "Bear Crossing Next Seven Miles."

Just as I was digesting all of the ramifications of Alligators, Bears, Wolves and MORE Bears and possible ramifications of the return ride back to OBX the next evening, that's when it hit me...

SPLAT!!!

...The biggest, juiciest bug that I have ever been splattered by. The bug splat went from left forearm to bicep and was, I noticed before wiping it off with the back of my right glove, rather tangerine in color. I'll never know what kind of bug it was because I was too busy looking at the damn Bear Xing sign...But it became one memory (out of many last week) that won't easily be forgotten.

The trip to Greensboro was otherwise hot and long...About two hours longer than the return since I was trying to make it back to OBX and past Marlin Perkinsville before nightfall.

And, although dusk fell a bit too early as I rode through the Bear, Wolves, Bear & Alligator Trail on the ride back., the only thoughts that kept creeping through my head were: Is there enough gas in the tank?...What's that in the middle of the road???...Oh. It's a piece of tire...And, if an Alligator trips me up and I go down, will I become street meat for the wolves and the bears?...

All in all, needless to say, the return trip was uneventful (Loud Pipes Save Lives)...There were no alligators, bears or wolves to be seen, and we at EmployerReport.com are extremely happy to be sending you this post.

With best wishes for a productive and prosperous week!

For more labor union news, be sure to check out EmployerReport.com