Again we need to be ready for this come 2009 (4.00 / 4)

This is going to be one hell of a fight. And the business community will spend millions to lobby and fund attack ads like this to defeat the bill.

An opportunity like the card check bill comes along about once every 30 years. The last time a similar bill came up it was 1978 (incidentally, the last time Democrats had the trifecta and a huge majority in the senate). It was killed by southern Democrats afraid of the backlash from whites back home. Taft-Hartley passed 30 years earlier over Truman's veto (again, with help from Southern Democratic senators and representatives).

So we better be prepared for a huge onslaught and for the need to keep our newly elected blue dogish southern senators in line (I'm looking at you Kay Hagan). We need to let them know that we'll fight tooth and nail for them if they're with us on this bill, but that all that grassroots energy, money, and volunteering will be gone for their next election if they fail us here. They don't have to vote for passage, but they'd better vote for g*d-damned cloture.  

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by: adamterando @ Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 21:55:52 PM UTC

May one suggest that if funding is still available, that (4.00 / 4)

this might be the appropriate place to throw money? This needs to be slam dunked, stopped by any means necessary. How long before Saxby sends the same mailer to my fellow citizens?
Georgia is rabidly anti-union to begin with, and this sort of shit might very well put Martin out of business.

FIGHT this bastard with everything we can muster!

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by: Silence Doesnogood @ Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 21:57:14 PM UTC

No polling? (0.00 / 0)

I can't find any polls for this race -- is this even competitive?

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by: Michael Whitney @ Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 22:01:56 PM UTC

No need for polling (4.00 / 2)

McCollum is safe as safe can be.

But it's still useful to get a pre-emptive look at what NFIB CoC and all the other usual suspects are planning for next year. I wouldn't be surprised if they're going to do some internal polling in a few days to see if these mailers are having any impact. They know it won't be anywhere near enough to challenge Betty, but they probably still want to know which messages work best to turn suburban, ostensibly dem-friendly voters, against card check.  

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by: adamterando @ Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 22:04:47 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Not remotely (4.00 / 1)

It's more likely that Róger Calero, the Socialist Workers Party candidate will win all 50 states by double digits.

John McCain: Beacuse lobbyists should have more power

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by: Populista @ Sat Oct 18, 2008 at 00:26:50 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

If I can't be safe at home from the Mormons, where can I be safe? (4.00 / 4)

I was all alone at home one day, when I heard a knock at the door.  There were 2 Mormons -- Elders!! -- and they wanted to talk about my "eternal soul!"  They had me outnumbered!   What can we do about these polygamist thugs?  Will no one stop them?

Barf.

You know, there's a real simple solution if workers are worried about organizers knocking on their doors:  let's amend the Act to give union organizers access to the boss's property (not necessarily work areas, maybe break rooms and cafeterias) so that workers can meet organizers at work.  

Organizers do house visits because it's often the only way to reach workers, and in the face of vicious, union-busting, anti-worker campaigning by the boss, regular contact is essential.  Card-check would make house-visiting really rare.

Not that the Chamber of Commerce gives a shit or anything.

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by: Pesto @ Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 23:28:04 PM UTC

Hahahhaha (0.00 / 0)

This is super funny.

Last time I heard about Ed Mattews?

Was when he mugged a actor at the RNC

http://www.mnblue.com/ed+matth...

And this is my district.

What a horrible person.

John McCain: Beacuse lobbyists should have more power

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by: Populista @ Sat Oct 18, 2008 at 00:29:02 AM UTC

what's the deal with union elections? (0.00 / 0)

Good grief, this is obnoxious.  But could someone explain to me why unions are so hostile to secret ballot elections?  Having dealt with a fraudulent unionization process at my workplace (i.e. fraudulent on the part of the union; what a joke that the UAW is listed as a "liberal organization" on the right), the tremendous chaos it caused, and now the apparent success of its second attempt, I don't get why they're so afraid of elections unless they actually are doing intimidation.

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by: midnight rambler @ Sat Oct 18, 2008 at 17:44:43 PM UTC

It isn't paranoia if they really are out to get you (0.00 / 0)

Unions suspect secret ballots because there is no way to ensure that the actual ballot on hand was the one cast by the voter. Someone had control of the ballots prior to them being tallied, and they don't know who.

Voice votes allow for surety.

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by: Silence Doesnogood @ Sat Oct 18, 2008 at 18:26:17 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

That's a scary path too. (0.00 / 0)

Hell, we don't know if the votes we cast in 2000 and 2004 were tallied correctly either for President in all 50 states.  But does that mean we should make voting not anonymous?

Surely there's another solution than voice votes.

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by: BruinKid @ Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 05:12:00 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

I'm not defending (0.00 / 0)

just offering an explanation. And, to differ from your statement, we do know that our votes weren't tallied right in 2000 or 2004.

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by: Silence Doesnogood @ Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 18:39:47 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Intimidation? (0.00 / 0)

There is no way for workers who want to form unions to get it because of employer intimidation.  I explained this in another diary so I'll copy & paste...

Right now, the problem for people who want to form or join a union is that CEOs have complete veto power over unions.  To start, 4 out of 10 workers who say they want a union never get a chance to vote for one because of delays & intimidation.  And almost half the time when people actually get to vote, CEOs and their businesses willingly violate the law in order to stop their employees from having a choice to join a union.  

What kind of laws do they break?  Specifically, in 46 percent of elections, employers interfere by firing pro-union employees, cutting back on workers' hours, making groundless demotions, and using other intimidating tactics. Ezra Klein compares these extreme pressures faced by workers who want to form unions to a similar environment in a US political election:

 

 The space we're currently occupying is brutal, and makes an utter mockery of the idea of elections. Hearing the status quo defended as free and fair is like imagining a presidential election where you can vote however you'd like, but anyone who votes against the incumbent party is informed they will lose all access to Social Security, Medicare, and the protection of their local police and fire departments. Also, they'll be audited. But nevertheless: Folks can vote however they want.

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by: Michael Whitney @ Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 13:17:33 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

link (0.00 / 0)

http://openleft.com/showDiary....

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by: Michael Whitney @ Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 13:17:50 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

how are cards any better? (0.00 / 0)

How is the system of automatic unionization by submitting signed cards better?  That just allows intimidation and fraud by union supporters one-on-one.  It ought to be a petition system, where if a certain proportion of workers sign cards/petitions then a full secret-ballot vote is held.  And how does the company know who voted what way, especially compared to the card system where your name is right on it stating up front that you support the union??

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by: midnight rambler @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 22:10:38 PM UTC

[ Parent ]