A Call to Action: It's Not Too Late to Stop EFCA

Dear Readers:

This is a long (but necessary) post to those of you who are interested in maintaining workers' right to vote in a secret-ballot election on the issue of unionization. Please read this in its entirety, as this is not our typical post regarding union news and events, this is a personal note and a call to action…Especially for employers, attorneys, as well as those engaged in the fight to defeat EFCA.

Four things to know before reading on:

First, you should not view this post as anything other than a plea to get you involved with helping to defeat EFCA--the bill that will have longer-lasting impact and wreak more havoc on this nation's ability to compete than the current financial meltdown on Wall Street.

Second, if you are in a so-called "Swing State" and/or a Right-to-Work State (or know someone who is), this is vitally important to pass along:

• Click here for a list of so-called "Swing States" (noted in grey).
• Click here for a listing of Right-to-Work States (noted in blue).

Third, should you choose to post any of the attached posters, we strongly ask that you to get approval from your labor counsel prior to posting or sending. EmployerReport.com assumes NO reponsibility. You are strongly advised to follow your attorney's sound legal advice.

Fourth, it's time to act…
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WHILE THINGS MAY LOOK BLEAK, IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO STOP EFCA…

SOME BACKGROUND…

For more than two years, through EmployerReport.com, we have been devoted to trying to educate the public-at-large to the devastating consequences to employers and their employees should Big Union Bosses succeed in passing the Orwellian-named Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA).

We have been doing this on our own time and our own dime. Sadly, though, it would appear our efforts (and those of others) have not been enough. With the election a few weeks away, there are far too many people still ignorant about what this election is really about* and why unions are spending $1 Billion to take over the federal government.

[*Note: On November 8, 2006, the morning after the mid-term elections, we wrote
as our last entry on the Kulture blog that: The November 7th election was about much more than Iraq and the repudiation of George Bush, this election was about the future of American free enterprise. Unfortunately, liberty and free enterprise lost a huge battle in the last 36 hours. To America's employers: You have now been put on notice. If you weren't energized before, you should be now. The future of your company is now in jeopardy and your workers' jobs are in peril.]

Unfortunately, despite our warnings and other efforts since 2006, as well as the excellent educational efforts of a few others, too few people have taken heed, thus leaving our nation vulnerable to the largest and most expensive union organizing campaign ever.

With only a few weeks to go and based on the most recent polling, it would appear that the unions will succeed in gaining control of the White House, as well as a filibuster-proof Senate, making passage of EFCA a near certainty.

Should EFCA get passed and signed into law, you can be assured that many companies will close under the burden of unionization, while others outsource domestically or internationally causing workers to lose their jobs. This, more than anything else, has been what has kept us motivated for these last two years—the reason why we have devoted so much time to posting and educating as many people as possible.

Our Ignorant, Bought-and-Paid-For Politicians…

Last year, two days before the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass EFCA, I (along with a few other people) had the occasion to meet privately with a Congressman who was (and still is) pro-EFCA.

During the meeting, it was clear that this labor-backed legislator had bought into the unions' propaganda 'hook, line and sinker'. However, when the opportunity arose, I told the Congressman the following:

"Look, if EFCA passes, I will have job security for life," I stated.

At which the Congressman chuckled, "I can believe it."

"However," I continued, "fifteen years ago, I and five hundred other union workers lost our jobs to Mexico and this was prior to NAFTA. The reason I am opposed to EFCA is that will cost Americans their jobs."

The Congressman told us that they (Democrats) knew EFCA wouldn't become law in 2007, because they couldn't get it passed in the Senate and they knew that President Bush would veto the bill. However, he said, it wasn't going away either.

Two days later, the US House of Representatives passed the bill and, thankfully, it got blocked in the Senate.

The Brutal Truth…

Having been called many negative things over the course of my career (some deservedly, most undeservedly), there is one core value that, since leaving the union movement, I have placed above all others—always be brutally honest. Therefore, while this may offend some of the recipients of our posts (if the proverbial "shoe" fits), if this causes some 'friends' to become enemies, so be it: The truth needs to be told…

Too many people (although not all) in the field of labor relations have been too quiet on the EFCA issue. Why? Because most people in the labor relations field know that, if EFCA passes, it will be a boon for business--job security for an otherwise dying profession.

In fact, many in labor relations see "a second renaissance of building the union movement" (as VP nominee Joe Biden stated at an EFCA rally) not as a threat to American free enterprise, but as a means of building their businesses.

While we do not disagree with this assessment, rather than being silent on EFCA (or worse, taking economic advantage of employers' EFCA fears), we've chosen to pursue a different course of action, that of education over exploitation on the issue of EFCA. As we are already probably one of the top five busiest labor relations firms in the country, we already know the course of action that will need to be taken in the eventuality EFCA becomes law.

We know the methodology for the campaigns, the messaging that will need to take place, as well as the best delivery tools. However, we have opted to devote our time, not for what's the most financially lucrative to our firm, but to fight for what's right. We know there are those who profit through the marketing of fear. We, however, chose not to. Instead, we have chosen to devote as much time and resources as possible to fight this job-killing legislation…until the bitter end, if you will.

By now, you may be wondering: What's your point? Well, here it is...

A CALL TO ACTION…

There are too many people sitting on the sidelines and too few people who know what the union agenda is for 2009. Too few people have yet to take any action at all. It's time to take action…

While there are others issues on the union agenda, including nationalization of our health care system, the two issues that may move people at the polls are the possibility that something may kill their jobs, like:

• Enactment of the hallucinogenically-named Employee Free Choice Act
• Elimination of states' right to pass Right-to-Work laws, which would allow unions to require employees in (currently) 22 states to pay union dues or be fired.

Recently, an interesting fact was mentioned on one of the news shows which was that, if only five people in each Ohio district voted differently in 2004, we would have had a President Kerry for these last four years instead of President Bush. Let me say that again: If only five people in each Ohio district had voted differently then John Kerry would have been elected president.

[Yeah, I know, there's probably more than a few of you readers saying right now: 'If only…']

By all accounts (and despite the poll numbers of recent days), this election may be as tight as the one in 2000. In fact, Reuters and others are even ruminating about the possibility of a tie vote for the presidency. However, the presidency, while that's one battlefront, is not the key to defeating EFCA—the Senate is. If the GOP cannot maintain 41 Senate seats, there can be no filibuster to stop the bill. (Note: PA's GOP-in-name-only Arlen Spectre doesn't count.)

HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO…

For All Readers: Help Get the Word Out About EFCA and the Move to Abolish Right-to-Work States (both of which are likely to occur if the unions win in November).

As you may or may not know, in addition to millions of unions' dues dollars being spent on TV advertising, unions are sending teams of canvassers to knock on doors in swing states. Unions are distributing 1.5 million flyers and sending 500,000 targeted attack mailers to voters as well.

Well, since we were trained by unions, we felt it only appropriate to deploy the same tactics the unions are using.

Since there are far more union-free employers and employees than those saddled with unions, we believe YOU can have a far bigger impact by reaching a much larger audience. BUT, you need to act:

For Employers: Attached are several documents, as follows:

• Two Posters (in PDF) explaining the Employee Free Choice Act that, following your labor counsel's approval, you may wish to post in your workplace. Note: These posters have been drafted, in color, for 11X17 paper.
• One Poster (in PDF) explaining Big Union Bosses' scheme to eliminate Right-to-Work states that, following your labor counsel's approval, you may wish to post in your workplace. Note: This poster has been drafted, in color, for 11X17 paper.

Focus on Right-toWork States…An Opportunity Missed:

Like EFCA (until recently), too few people are focusing on this as a potential 'wedge issue'.

The potential for eliminating Right-to-Work states will be a very big deal for many workers in those states. As several of the so-called "swing states" are, in fact, Right-to-Work states, most workers in these states value the fact they they cannot be forced to pay a union to keep their jobs. Without become partisan, these workers should be educated on the unions' efforts to eliminate their right to work in order to collect union dues.

While no state should be left to chance, a few of the Right-to-Work states that will be instrumental this year include:

• Florida
• Nevada
• North Carolina
• Virginia

NOTE: In each of the materials attached, we have directed employees to educate themselves by going to EmployeeFreedom.org, MyPrivateBallot.org, and UnionFacts.com…

A REQUEST FOR THOSE OF YOU RUNNING THE ABOVE WEBSITES:

SINCE YOUR RESOURCES ARE GREATER THAN OURS IN THIS SHORT TIME FRAME, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF YOU COULD MAKE AVAILABLE ON YOUR WEBSITES A LISTING OF THE FEDERAL CANDIDATES' POSITION ON EFCA (i.e., "These are the candidates that have pledged to take your to a secret-ballot election away" vs. "These are the candidates that want you to keep your right to a secret-ballot election").

Employees deserve the right to know which candidates are in bed with the union bosses and it would be helpful to have a comprehensive list that can be downloaded prior to the election.

Dear readers, it's up to you to get the word out. We've been doing it for more than two years now and it has been difficult to try to overcome the unions' billion-dollar campaign.

Please help America's employees understand what Big Union Bosses intend for them after the November 4th election.

With Very Best Wishes,

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