Articles tagged as

Unions

Elect Equality

Steve MacDonald

Ray has apparently been asking the local democrat population to cast their votes for Paul and Carol and I say knock yourself out, as long as you are OK with taking more out of state money from major unions that use intimidation to stifle free speech (wow that sounds familiar), and beat up innocnet black men who disagree with them. I think that makes the SEIU a bunch of hate mongering racists, but I’ll have to check my Race Pimps and Grievance-Mongers to American English Dictionary (Fifth Column….I mean edition) to be certain.

Hassan’s Special Interests

Steve MacDonald

Skip has done a great job piling on this Hassan HB1459-political speech issue, and I’m not sure how much more we can add today, but this quote caught my eye, Skip didn’t take it in the direction I expected. (So I will) Maggie Hassan is quoted as saying… “Millions of Americans invest retirement money in … Read more

One Thought In Passing

Steve MacDonald

Are the people running the unions stupid?  Not the rank and file, but the leadership.  These people are selling salt as flour to the due payers while pushing the cities and states into a corner.  What do I mean?  Look at the pension problem.  In New Jersey Chris Cristie has to fight tooth and nail … Read more

NEA-NH loves the ARRA

Steve MacDonald

NEA New Hampshire is a-gush over the anniversary of the Stimu-less bill and they are not afraid to show it.  According to NEA-NH Insider the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)… …represents a huge win for education thanks to unprecedented funding increases targeted to local districts.  ARRA also included increases for Title I, stabilization funding, … Read more

Why do we need unions in Goverment?


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Government employee unionization should be outlawed. Unlike all other employers, government at every level is a monopoly. Accordingly, people have no choice on whether to patronize the "business" of local, state, or federal government. There is no competition. Government employee unions can thus directly attack the public interest with impunity: Their employer cannot go out … Read more

Pickpocket

I know more than one person forced to work as a member of  a union that feels as though the weekly union dues are somewhat akin to having their pockets picked. Here is a story that shows that when it comes to some members of some labor unions, they’re picking your pockets coming and going. … Read more

“A mortal threat to American freedom…”

As we have been warning for some time here on the ‘Grok, this US Senate session will include a fight over what we have long refered to as the "deceptively named" Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) or, as it is more commonly known– "card check." Noted in several prior posts and discussed on our Saturday … Read more

Beware the payback

Here is an ad rightly denouncing the badly named "Employee Free Choice Act" (EFCA), otherwise known as "card check." I cannot imagine how bad things could get in many businesses accross America should this stinker pass… [H/T The Other McCain]

Jeanne Shaheen: Clueless on EFCA. What else is she in the fog about?

. Last week we finally caught up with Gov Jeanne Shaheen as she made a campaign stop at BAE Systems of Nashua (4,700 employees in NH and another 1,000 in their MA operations). As reported in this prior post, during the event, she got taken to task for her silence on her party’s characterization of … Read more

Why would they want to take away the secret ballot?

You know why. After all, we’re talking about labor unions here. Why do you suppose they so badly want the deceptively named Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) or, as it is more commonly known– "card check"– to pass in the US Senate? Noted in several prior posts and discussed on our Saturday radio program, this … Read more

Who knew? Maine Senator Susan Collins on “card check”

Steve MacDonald

card check

For some time now, we have been closely following the progress of the deceptively named Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) or, as it is more commonly known– "card check"– as it wends its way through Congress. Noted in several prior posts and discussed on our Saturday radio program, this legislation eliminates the secret ballot presently available to workers when it comes to the question of unionization. As you might suspect, Democrats are mostly in favor of its passage, given their long-time relationship with labor unions in general, and it has been up to the Republicans to stand in the way of passage of this onerous legislation. While certainly overshadowed by the present fiscal chaos dominating the news cycle, this issue has turned out to be one of the major topics of discussion in some of this year’s most closely contested Senate races.

Certainly the subject has found its way into the Sununu/Shaheen race, with our friends at Granite Staters for Employee Freedom pushing the issue every chance they get at various campaign events and meetings throughout the state.

What you might not have known (like me) is that, in addition to Senator Sununu being on the right side of this important issue, another New England Republican in a close re-election race is right there too: Susan Collins. That’s right– while you’re probably like me in thinking that the Maine Republican Senator is not nearly conservative enough when it comes to certain matters, it turns out she is absolutely right when it comes to her position regarding EFCA. In fact, during a recent debate against her Democratic challenger she literally knocked it out of the park when questioned on "card check". Said Senator Collins, in response to a question as to where she stands:

I am strongly opposed to taking away the guarantee of a secret ballot when workers are deciding whether or not to organize.

She then provided some details that clearly demonstrates her grasp of what is at stake:

 

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They’ll judge you by the company you keep…

Our friends at Granite Staters for Employee Freedom (GSEF) — a group seeking to educate people on the dangers of passing the so-call "card check" legislation, the deceptively-named Employee Free Choice Act  (EFCA) doing away with secret ballot voting on the question whether or not to unionize– have discovered a few interesting facts as they go … Read more

Does the washroom sign say “All employees must wash feet before returning to prayer?” You know– by the footbasin…

.tyson.labor.caliphate

The story about Tyson Foods’ decision to swap the Labor Day holiday for Eid al-Fitr is sweeping the Internet and flying all around via email as we speak. From the Shelbyville Times-Gazette:

Workers at Tyson Foods’ poultry processing plant in Shelbyville will no longer have a paid day off on Labor Day, but will instead take the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr in the fall.

A recent press release from the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) stated that a new contract at the Shelbyville facility "implements a new holiday to accommodate the … Muslim workers at the plant."

I have some thoughts on this. First, while I’m definitely NOT the biggest fan of labor unions, what is more American than the concept of a three-day weekend at the end of summer? If this isn’t evidence of non-assimilation, I don’t know what is. While I don’t necessarily dispute the workers’ right to decide when their allotted holidays will be taken, I just believe it tells us something about some of the more recent immigrants to our country– especially when compared against those who came before, eagerly seeking to become "American" which included adopting its traditions and customs (not to mention the language). Although I suppose the ranks of Islamic employees could include a growing number of "disaffected" African-Americans too, as it is no secret that this demographic is a growth market for new converts. The Times-Gazette story continues:

there are approximatly 700 Muslims working at Tyson, but Mickelson said that Somalis only represent approximately 250 of the 1,200 employed at the plant, a little over 20 percent of the workforce.

"All Team Members who have completed their probationary period are eligible for all eight paid holidays including Eid al-Fitr," the Tyson spokeman said.

The union also claimed that in addition to the observance of the Muslim holiday, "two prayer rooms have been created to allow Muslim workers to pray twice a day and return to work without leaving the plant."

Mickelson said that Shelbyville’s Tyson plant "does have a prayer room to accommodate the needs of Muslim Team Members."

"In addition to regular, non-paid breaks, all Team Members are allotted a seven-minute paid break," the Tyson spokesman said. "Some Team Members choose to pray during this time."

While I’m not against the concept of people praying during work breaks, this is much more ingrained into the workplace culture– by written rule– than anything I’ve seen anywhere with regards to other religions one has long found here in America. This is the difference between a more passive, personal religious relationship with God than that of Islam, which seeks to insert itself into EVERY facet of life, including the leading authorities– in this case, the union and operation of a major corporation. And of course we all know that this includes politics and the government itself. (Sharia law) 

 

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The “Artful Dodger” strikes again. Jeanne Shaheen and her human campaign shields…

In what is an interesting story, given their oft-stated claims to the contrary, these videos demonstrate that the Democrats aren’t "holier than thou" when it comes to the filming of their candidates at meetings. Recall that Republicans have received flak on more than one occasion for seeking to ban members of the opposition party from meetings, including one occasion right here in our own neck of the woods. As reported by the Citizen newspaper back in May:

State Democratic Party leaders are expressing anger that one of their "trackers" was kicked out of Wednesday’s Belknap County Republicans’ meeting despite the fact that it was used as a campaign stop for two congressional candidates.

[snip]

Buckley said he believes the incident speaks volumes about the attitude of Republican Party leaders.

"I’m curious as to what these candidates have to hide. Either a meeting is public or it’s not. If you want to have a closed meeting, have a closed meeting … they can’t have it both ways," said Buckley, noting that established media were welcome to attend.

If you read the whole story to the end, you would have discovered that, GASP, I am in agreement with Buckley in that when it comes to candidate appearances, everyone should be able to attend and videotape and even in some cases ask questions. Well, unfortunately, as we find all too often with certain Democrats, what’s good for the goose ain’t good for the gander. Check out the treatment of the videographer at a recent Jeanne Shaheen campaign event. Can you imagine if John Sununu was to dispatch staffers in thug-like fashion anytime, anywhere? I think not…

And then there’s the candidate herself. In a million years, could you imagine Senator Sununu calling someone out as Shaheen does in this next video? What about the Buckley admonishment of the GOP as noted above? Yeah, right. We’re talkin’ ’bout Jeanne Shaheen here. Nothing much happens off-script. What, you think she’s a woman of the people? Please! Following all that, after pointing her finger at the offending videotaper a-la the Wicked Witch of the West, it appears he’s about to be taken away. For what? The question actually sounded reasonable– much like the same one she’s been dodging for quite some time now…

Would she be as "approachable" as our Senator? Can we take that chance? Yikes!

 

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Biting the hands that feed. SEIU on the attack…

Steve MacDonald

SEIU

SEIU

For the nearly two years that GraniteGrok has been open for business, we have written a fair amount about the ongoing union assault on successful American companies like Wal-Mart. We have covered both the philisophical questions raised by such tactics in a free-market society as well as exactly who comprises the instigators behind such ongoing attacks. The common thread is, of course, labor unions. In their quest to maintain power and relevance, they will do almost anything, including destroy the very companies that employ them– biting the hand that feeds.

Leading the charge these days are the henchmen of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). As reported by Matt Lewis writing at Townhall.com, the practices being used in the advancement of their cause are likely to invoke the images among many folks of the classic "union thug" from some bygone era:

Just this past weekend, the SEIU sent hundreds of "members" to disrupt a labor conference in Michigan.  They were apparently shoving people to the ground and apparently even went so far as to inflict a head wound on a retired woman (story here, video). In California, they are stalking nurses in a rival union by going to their homes with cameras — and even made a YouTube video of themselves doing it.

A  California judge even issued a restraining order against them.

What some people might not know is that in addition to routine thuggery, the SEIU has found new ways to disrupt, cajole, and otherwise shakedown their intended targets. Obviously, when physically beating up corporate execs as opposed to hapless commoners and lowly workers, there comes an added risk to the unionists: deeper pockets to pay for legal actions. As reported in Friday’s Washington Post,

Big labor is relying more on guile and theatrics than blunt force to attack the ascendancy of a new form of corporate ownership: private equity.

And tactics often get personal. Union allies staged a satire outside buyout king Henry Kravis’s lavish Long Island home, asking passersby to sign a petition giving him a break on his property taxes. Weeks later, protesters in business suits sneaked into a private-equity conference at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York, where Carlyle Group co-founder David M. Rubenstein was giving a speech. They sought to shame him with a banner that read: "Why does he pay taxes at a lower rate than the hotel’s doorman?"

Then on Halloween, union members wearing Rubenstein masks paraded in front of Carlyle’s offices, handing out Sugar Daddy suckers.

The unorthodox protests are part of a campaign by the Service Employees International Union and its allies to position themselves as a check on what they regard as a new economic order, one dominated by the big private buyout firms.

And what is their problem with this "new economic order?"

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Attention Wal-Mart shoppers…

Wal-Mart
.
In recent years, I have come to appreciate and admire the marvel of American logistics and ingenuity that is Wal-Mart. Unfortunately, others don’t see it in the same light. In a number of posts stretching back over the past year and more, I have written quite a bit about the ongoing campaign against Wal-Mart by labor unions and their friends in the Democratic Party . In a posting from last November, I reported:
The Democratic war against Wal Mart moves on. With the socialist-leaning party in power, one wonders if the assault on the premier American retailer/ logistics giant will intensify and begin to cause the company real damage.
As I said in this one,
Wal-Mart represents the latest target in the left’s war on successful American businesses.
Last October, I discussed the vehicle chosen by those joining in the assault: the WakeUpWalMart campaign. At the time, I was writing about the NEA teacher’s union’s joining with that group as they attacked Wal-Mart. As found on their website, one sees the union roots of the effort:

Participation in the campaign, which is organized by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW), the AFL-CIO union with primary jurisdiction for employees of retail stores, was approved by the NEA Executive Committee in May 2005 and endorsed by the 2005 Representative Assembly in July 2005.

Of course, just because those on the outside looking in say something is bad, it turns out, sometimes, when you consult people actually having firsthand information, the real story turns out to be quite different. In this post about a group comprised of Wal-Mart employees (Working Families for Wal-Mart), I pointed out:

I know several people that work for Wal Mart, and they genuinely like their jobs. Nobody forces anybody to work there.

Followed by this:

Nobody forces anyone to shop there. Imagine that- willing employees serving willing customers- What a concept!

Indeed. Did you know that Wal-Mart, under constant attack by those who always claim to be for "the little guy," saves the average American family who willingly patronizes them more than $2,500 per year? And now, for those willing customers, there’s a way to get involved and help defend the company that provides such a level of satisfaction: Wal-Mart New England’s Customer Action Network (CAN).

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