Update, Part Deux: Sources have contacted me to correct my update. The Act hasn't officially passed the Senate yet. The final vote will be later this week. The first vote was a procedural motion that appears to be a strong indicator of a final vote. Anyway, there is hope for this bad legislation to die yet. Update: Just as I was publishing this post, it looks like the Act has passed the Senate, with a lot of so-called Republicans also enabling the legislation. So goes the world... Unsurprisingly, the Democrats in Congress haven't accomplished much since they took over. Most notably, Nancy Pelosi's 2006 "plan" to bring down gas prices is still in the works. One special interest group to which Democrats have been busy pandering is … [Read more...]
Search Results for: Employee Free Choice Act
“What Do Ya Got There?” “It’s My Secret Ballot.” “Not Anymore It Ain’t.”
The ironically-named Employee Free Choice Act is the name of the Big Labor special interest legislation to take away workers' rights to the secret ballot. EFCA has been beaten many times, but like a bad dream it keeps coming back. What's the big deal, you say? Would you want this guy looking over your shoulder when you vote? (H/T Fred Dooley) … [Read more...]
Denver Post: Udall out of Step with “Western Values”
A scathing editorial in yesterday's Denver Post calls out Colorado Democrats for bowing to Big Labor with their support of HR 800, the poorly-named Employee Free Choice Act (read here, here and here). Though all Democrats in the state's delegation voted for the bad legislation, the Post specifically singled out bill co-sponsor Boulder liberal Mark Udall - the man who would be U.S. Senator- first for his anti-business agenda: The proposal, which passed the House with support from Rep. Mark Udall, contained an offensive and little-known provision that would have allowed a government arbitrator to impose a two-year contract on businesses and workers that actually specified wages and working conditions. Neither the employer nor the workers … [Read more...]
Push for Coercive Big Labor Bill Falters on Cloture Vote
No surprises here, but definitely good news. HR 800, also very poorly known as the Employee Free Choice Act, couldn't pass the cloture vote test today in the U.S. Senate. The final tally was 51-48, on a nearly strict party-line ballot. Only Arlen Specter jumped the Republican ship to join the Democrats' effort to reward union leaders with special privileges by denying workers the right to a secret ballot. Workers have the right to choose to join OR not to join a union, and they deserve to keep the right to a secret ballot to make that decision. To learn more, you can also listen to a new iVoices podcast I hosted with Ryan Ellis from Americans for Tax Reform (go here for a direct link to the MP3). The bill hasn't gone away forever, and … [Read more...]
Help Sen. Salazar Take a Stand for Workers’ Rights
In today's edition, the editors of the Rocky Mountain News challenge Colorado's junior U.S. Senator with the question: Who are you going to put first - the rights of Colorado workers or the interests of labor bosses? The poorly-named Employee Free Choice Act, which already passed the U.S. House, would rob employees of a secret ballot in workplace organizing elections. It would rig the process in favor of union officials. America is great because workers have the right to volunteer to join and pay dues to a union. But equally respected should be the right of workers NOT to join and pay dues or fees to a union. The Democrat-sponsored legislation does not respect that right. It uses the excuse of declining union membership to justify giving … [Read more...]
Fred Thompson on Unions and Ask First Policy
Spot-on commentary from the GOP's Presidential un-candidate Fred Thompson about union dues and the need for Ask First, the Supreme Court ruling in the Davenport case (hear more at iVoices), and the poorly-named Employee Free Choice Act. You can read Sen. Thompson's post, listen to his podcast, or both - just go here. … [Read more...]
The Pros and Cons of Working in the Gig Economy
It’s likely you know or have heard of at least one person within your social network who has a flexible working arrangement. It could be they have the luxury of working from home a few days a week, or perhaps they’re full-on freelancers. This schedule may be enviable to someone who works full-time in a brick and mortar building. Who wouldn’t want to have the flexibility to work from the comfort of their bed during the workweek? This growing trend of freelance and short-term work is also referred to as the gig economy. Forbes recently pointed to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report that noted 35% of the U.S. workforce in 2018 was gig workers. By 2020, the number is expected to jump to 43%. So why is nearly half of the American … [Read more...]
Memo to Colorado Lawmakers: Collective Bargaining in Government Different than in Private Business
Slipping under the radar late in Colorado's legislative session (sine die is tomorrow, hallelujah!) is House Bill 1320 -- sponsored by two conservative Republicans, Rep. Janak Joshi and Sen. Bill Cadman -- a rare two-page piece of legislation that would essentially outlaw collective bargaining in state and local governments. It's not going to pass, and concerned citizens and political observers rightfully are paying attention to Colorado's redistricting debate instead, so it's not worth expending too many pixels. However, I found the apparent reason for HB 1320 being held up on the House floor a bit disheartening -- albeit not surprising, given the unimpressive record of the new Republican majority:Rep. Keith Swerdfeger, R-Pueblo West, … [Read more...]
Time to Respond to Denver Post’s Anti-DougCo Voucher Letter Writers
Update, Noon: Here is the one-page summary of official recommendations made to the Douglas County Board of Education by the School Choice Task Force's "Option Certificates" subcommittee. So unless you've been hiding under a rock for the past couple weeks, you may have heard Douglas County -- one of Colorado's largest school districts -- is considering the adoption of a local voucher-style private school choice program. Independence Institute blogger "Eddie" has covered the story well here and here. With all the coverage in the Denver Post, it's not surprising that plenty of readers wanted to weigh in with letters published in Sunday's Perspective section. I was disappointed to see most of the letters rely on misinformed premises … [Read more...]
Josh Penry Backs Scott McInnis, GOP Unites Behind 20 Governing Principles
Word has leaked to the Grand Junction Sentinel that state senate minority leader Josh Penry will formally announce his endorsement of former rival Scott McInnis for Colorado governor. The endorsement was contingent on the McInnis formally agreeing to 20 conservative governing principles. "These are the principles that swept the GOP to victory in New Jersey in Virginia," Penry said. "And they can re-unite our Party too, and pave the way for a successful campaign and, more important, a successful governing party when the election's over and done with." Without further ado, here's the list of unified governing principles that was forwarded to Mount Virtus, a list that contains a fair amount of specificity: … [Read more...]