Stewart Acuff
By Stewart Acuff
Special Assistant to the President, AFL-CIO
Arlen Specter’s decision to become a Democrat makes the fight for the Employee Free Choice Act much more fluid and passage much more likely.
Organized labor will re-double our already overwhelming efforts in Pennsylvania to convince the Senator to once again support the bill that he was a co-sponsor of in the last Congress.
Labor is re-energized by his decision. Grassroots union activity-already at a fever pitch-is escalating even more.
Meanwhile, union leaders like Steelworkers President Leo Gerard are taking note of Democratic operatives who’ve sold out to Corporate America.
Last week in the Wall St. Journal, Thomas Frank exposed some of the Democratic lobbyists and loyalists who are doing all they can on behalf of Walmart and Corporate America to defeat organized labor’s number one priority-the Employee Free Choice Act.
The list-hardly exhaustive-includes the Podesta Group, D and P Creative Strategies, Ingrid Duran. All on the payroll of Walmart. All siding with Walmart and Corporate America against workers and the American Labor movement.
Is it any wonder that Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, home of Walmart, is having trouble supporting the Employee Free Choice Act when she once was once was a co-sponsor?
As Thomas Frank said, “Why does labor always get it in the neck?”
After all, besides its money, organized labor provided the tens of thousands of ground troops for Democratic victories in 2006 and 2008. Who-other than educated and motivated union members-had those tens of thousands of hard conversations about race and class and inequality and the future of America in Pennsylvania and Ohio and Indiana in white communities that opened up hearts and minds to Barack Obama?
Passage of the Employee Free Choice Act will have a lot to do with the survival of collective bargaining in America’s private sector. We expect Corporate America and the radical rightwing to fight to defend the status quo of stagnant and declining wages, healthcare rationing by income or wealth, ballooning corporate profits and CEO pay, falling consumer demand, increasing unemployment-but Democrats?!
For any Democrat to side with Corporate America and the radical rightwing against organized labor and the Employee Free Choice Act today when it is clear that Corporate America and the radical rightwing are responsible for running the American economy into the ditch, are responsible for the highest inequality since 1929, are responsible for the meltdown of our economy, for 30 years of stagnant and declining wages, for our healthcare crisis, and for the squeeze on the Middle Class is inexcusable.
Say this for Republicans, they would never assault an element of their base so important to their party.
After NAFTA and PNTR for China and welfare reform and CAFTA and the incessant weakening of America’s labor laws, unions are watching closely.
Having a D beside your name or on your lobbying shingle is no longer enough.
NAFTA, CAFTA, SHAFTA. We’re fed up with Democrats that talk the talk but don’t walk the walk. Stand with organized labor on the Employee Free Choice Act or stand with Walmart. There’s no middle ground. Which side are you on?
Posted April 30, 2009 at 11:49 am, in From AFL-CIO
May 14th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
he s on what ever side he can get the most benifit from, voting against the union org bill then for it then against it , he let ira einhorn get away for twenty years, he came up with a 90 degree turning bullet, what more do you need to know abotu the man , i live in pa and he has been a pain to keep up with which side is he on . i say come primary get rid of em he wont stand for us with us or near us ,unless he thinks it may benifit him try joe sestak navy vet nice guy, or pat toomey he at least tells you where he stands as well right or wrong he will not bend . specter needs to go hes terrible and i want to know how does he keep getting elected? the answear we as union and pa voters dont get out there and vote (i do every time but im one vote) so lets get rolling cant wait another day and complain about our economy u want to change it then do something to change it