Glenn Beck And Corporate Front Man: Employee Free Choice Equals ‘Tyrannies And Socialism’
Glenn Beck And Corporate Front Man: Employee Free Choice Equals ‘Tyrannies And Socialism’
Yesterday, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-CA) said that the Employee Free Choice Act “would be unveiled in a matter of days or weeks.” The same evening, Fox News’ Glenn Beck hosted Mark McKinnon of the Workforce Fairness Institute, in a segment that amounted to nothing more than a screed against the bill.
After saying that people who want to hear pro-Employee Free Choice guests need to “turn to PBS,” Beck gave McKinnon free rein to spew talking points:
Well, we call it the Forced Choice Act, Glenn. It’s the most radical rewrite of labor law in 80 years. And it is a political nightmare and a public policy disaster. It’s a Trojan horse for labor to put through everything they have ever wanted. It is just a huge goody bag…[I]t eliminates the ability for workers who are being organized to cast a secret ballot, a democratic principle that we hold dear…They have private ballots in America, but not in other countries where there are tyrannies and socialism.
Watch it:
Not surprisingly, Beck failed to identify McKinnon for what he really is: the head of a corporate front group — “founded by several longtime Republican operatives” — that is lobbying against the Employee Free Choice Act.
According to the National Journal, the Workforce Fairness Institute will not identify its funders, “but sources familiar with its creation speculate that such big retailers as Wal-Mart and Home Depot — which are high-profile opponents of EFCA — are likely among the group’s donors.” It seems odd that someone so concerned with safeguarding the democratic process is willing to engage in lobbying using dollars from secret corporate interests.
Beck also didn’t challenge McKinnon’s false assertion that the bill would eliminate the secret ballot, or note that the Employee Free Choice Act would simply allow workers to decide how they want to form a union, instead of leaving the choice up to their employers. But maybe hearing the truth is also something for which viewers should “turn to PBS.”
4 Responses to “Glenn Beck And Corporate Front Man: Employee Free Choice Equals ‘Tyrannies And Socialism’”
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A crock is right! vote while someone is looking over your shoulder.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:05 pmWhen has a Secret Ballot been Un-American. I’ve been through a couple Union Fights and believe me, you don’t want the Union looking over your shoulder during a vote, and you don’t want your employer looking over your shoulder, for that matter, either.
This is a Payoff to the Unions from Obama and the Democrats who have taken 100drd’s of millions of dollars in campaign contributions.
It’s called PAY-TO-PLAY. It’s what Blago was kicked out of his office for. His problem was that he was too transparent in his requests.
February 6th, 2009 at 1:04 pmOK – the bill doesn’t TECNICALLY eliminate secret ballot elections but tell me why the unions would want a secret ballot if they can organize on the basis of signed union cards?
I’ve worked in a union shop and I know how the unions work. If they can organize a group by using intimidation and peer pressure to get people to sign their cards, then that is what they’ll do and the intimidation will go on and on until they get what they want.
An election is a one time event and nobody knows how you voted. I know that there are employer abuses with the secret ballot system but I say fix those and don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.
February 6th, 2009 at 2:49 pmThe Employee Free Choice Act is about workers rights to form a union. They will have the choice to do it either by a secret vote, or they can fill out cards to form a union. Any one who has worked for an employer that wasn’t organized knows how hard it can be to form a union. The company hacks will intimidate employees with threats to be given days off, cut in hours and even firing. Employees have the right now to throw out a union by a card vote, so why shouldn’t employees have the right to form a union by a card vote? It’s all about fairness. And the facts are that a company that has a union the wages will grow, the health care will be better, the company will prosper, and it a proven fact that companies that are around union shops, their wages and benefits go up too. It’s a win-win for the American worker and their families.
February 8th, 2009 at 5:04 am