Workforce Fairness Institute

Katie Gage
September, 3, 2010
The Hill

America first celebrated Labor Day in 1882 as a sign of good will toward unions in New York City. Shortly thereafter, Congress signed a bill making Labor Day a national holiday.

Our nation’s actions concerning Labor Day are still welcomed by many as an extra day off work and an excuse to light up barbeques one last time before summer is out. Politicians take it as their cue to start campaigning in earnest, making sure to hit local parades and picnics. Union bosses view Labor Day as the start of the spending season as they try to buy favor with as many politicians as possible.

What is Big Labor after? The answer is simple, power and money. They are demanding legislation like the Employee ‘Forced’ Choice Act (EFCA), which would essentially allow the government to take over America’s small businesses. EFCA would serve as a windfall for labor bosses funneling billions of dollars into their coffers so they can afford to fund campaign tours and reward politicians who carry their water.

For Big Labor, political campaigns are big business. The SEIU alone has pledged to spend $44 million on campaigns this year, despite its dangerously under-funded pensions and tens of millions of dollars worth of debt. Union bosses can afford to throw this kind of money around because they run a ponzi scheme with their pension plans so devastating and far-reaching, it would make Bernie Madoff blush.

Union organizers attract recruits by promising them secure pensions and benefits. Once the new recruits are signed up and paying dues, the bosses decide where those dollars go. And predictably, the money ends up funding Big Labor’s favorite campaigns or lining the union boss’ pockets, instead of going to retirements.

However, Big Labor’s appetite is hard to satisfy and they usually find themselves spending more than they actually have. Not one to be discouraged by things like ethics or common sense, union heads don’t think twice about dipping into worker pension funds for extra cash. However, even this can’t last forever, and eventually the bill owed to workers will come due.

This is where Big Labor hopes that all those campaign donations will pay off. Labor bosses are turning to Congress and demanding that EFCA become law so they can bail out their under-funded commitments. EFCA would accomplish this by forcing workers into unions by eliminating the secret ballot and instituting a pubic card check process opening up individuals to coercion and intimidation. Next, once a bargaining unit has been formed, unless a small business agrees to Big Labor’s terms, the government will mandate a contract on employees and employers alike without their consent.

Big Labor has been trying to push the Employee ‘Forced’ Choice Act with all their might. But they have run into the reality that the legislation will increase unemployment costing America up to 600,000 jobs in just one year.

This Labor Day, Members of Congress and candidates for Federal office should keep the labor force in mind, not the union bosses desperate to compensate for their recklessness and mismanagement with job-killing legislation.

Tell Congress: Stop the PRO Act

WFI is working to prevent passage of the so-called Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act)—a wholesale labor reform package that takes the current careful balance of labor rules and tips it greatly in the favor of labor bosses and forced collective bargaining.

The PRO Act robs workers of the right to a secret ballot to form a union, forces union contracts on workers without a vote of approval, and expose workers’ personal contact information to union bosses seeking to organize a workplace. And that’s just the start.

Help us speak out against this woefully misguided and blatantly anti-worker legislation. Review and send the message below to your members of Congress today.

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WFI Key Vote Letter: Opposition to PRO Act

— 02.10.2020 —

Dear Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader McCarthy: On behalf of the Workforce Fairness Institute (WFI), I am writing to share our organization’s vehement opposition to H.R. 2474, the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act). WFI has serious concerns with the broad, overreaching nature of this legislation and the many ways in which it would undermine worker freedom and privacy, while simultaneously threatening businesses and entire industries that keep America’s economy thriving. Please note that WFI will include votes on the PRO Act and its amendments on our Congressional Labor Scorecard, which scores and ranks legislators based on their activity associated with workplace issues. WFI was established to fight for American employees and employers as well as our entire economy. We believe in worker empowerment, the right of workers to be fully informed of the options available for worker-involvement in the workplace, and the right to freely choose whether to organize or not. No individual or group – government, a union or an employer – should be able to intimidate or restrict workers’ in exercising these rights. In an attempt to boost flailing union membership at the expense of workers’ rights, the PRO Act would upend decades of established U.S. labor law and institute myriad anti-employee and anti-employer policies that have already been soundly rejected—by Congress, various federal agencies, or the courts. Among its most blatant affronts to workers’ rights, the PRO Act would eliminate the right to a secret ballot when determining whether to unionize and enforce a “card check” system, exposing workers to the potential for harassment, intimidation, and coercion. The PRO Act would also enforce binding arbitration in union negotiations by a government- appointed bureaucrat; repeal and eliminate right-to-work laws in 27 states, force workers to fund union activities regardless of whether they support them; and threaten the ability of individuals to operate as independent contractors, eliminating traditional economic and employment opportunities and threatening the independence and flexibility of the emerging gig economy. On top of all that, the PRO Act would force all workers’ personal and home contact information to be provided to a union during organizing campaigns – in an electronic, searchable format no less, with no limit on what a union can do with that information. WFI believes in advancing sensible policies that protect and preserve the rights of both employees and employers, and we welcome the opportunity to work with legislators who also support these efforts. However, the PRO Act does not achieve these goals and would instead threaten the rights of both while jeopardizing our entire economy. WFI urges members of the House to strongly oppose the PRO Act. Sincerely, Heather Greenaway Executive Director Workforce Fairness Institute See the letter here.