Comments on: Sopranos Johnny Sack Shows us Some Union WiseGuys http://theunionlabelblog.com/2008/04/25/sopranos-johnny-sac-shows-us-some-union-wiseguys/ Exposing union corruption one post at a time Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:38:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Richard Dorrough http://theunionlabelblog.com/2008/04/25/sopranos-johnny-sac-shows-us-some-union-wiseguys/#comment-22609 Richard Dorrough Fri, 09 May 2008 11:06:39 +0000 http://theunionlabelblog.com/?p=220#comment-22609 HR 800 RH Employee Free Choice Act This is the bill that Union leaders proclaim will reverse the decline in Union membership. But will it. You decide. Read the act here. While I find the proposed new regulations creating tougher penalties for companies who try to intimidate and harass workers who would Unionize welcome I am totally against the replacing secret ballot votes with authorization cards. Those that favor the act claim that the authorization cards would curb harassment of employees by business. Those that oppose the provision claim that the card system would open employees to harassment from Union officials. So who is correct. There is plenty of evidence that shows us that management has a history of intimidation, retaliation and other anti union activities. Labor Unions also have a history of the same intimidation and harassment that those opposed to the bill claim. It is my opinion that a secret ballot vote system must stay in place. Organized labor has proven that it cannot be trusted with an authorization card system. While proponents of Section 2 of the Act claim that a card system will limit the ability to intimidate workers I must disagree. It will only increase it by giving Pro Union organizers and officers the ability to pressure workers to sign. The new catch phrase for labor will be Sign!Sign!Sign! . With a card system workers will be subject to unfair peer pressure and possible retaliation by the pro Union faction for refusal to join. I have been in many situations where a worker will go along with the group just to avoid conflict. It is ONLY with the anoniminity of the secret ballot vote that the workers can express their true desires. While Organized Labor and Business continue the battle to gain advantage for their money making agendas our only concern is for the worker. Organized labor claims to champion workers rights, wages and health care issues. The facts say otherwise. The climate of labor unions today has changed dramatically to the detriment of workers rights. The UBC under the leadership of Douglas McCarron has led the way in the destruction of organized labor. Mr. McCarron and his followers have pursued an agenda which has undermined the democratic rights of Union members, decreased wages, cut health and pension benefits and instituted a form of Corporate Unionism that only cares about its bottom line and not workers rights. Union officers enjoy quarter and half million dollar salaries and multiple pension plans. They have board meetings at Florida Resorts, Yacht Clubs and Vegas Casinos all at the expense of the Unions. At the same time they are cutting Union members wages and health benefits. Union members see declines in their pension benefits while the officers collect multiple pensions. Are these the Champions of Labor we want to entrust with an authorization card system. I think not. Organized Labor claims that the Employee Free Choice Act will change the steady decrease in Union membership. Although the United Brotherhood of Carpenters has dumped ridiculous sums on organizing they cannot provide figures that show an increase in Union membership to justify the expenditure. In fact the US Bureau of Labor Statistics in January reported a 12% drop in Union membership in 2006. Unions blame the decline on "aggressive tactics by Big business" The UBC, Teamsters and the rest of the Change to Win cohorts like to blame it on the AFL-CIO. Perhaps the Unions need to look within. One of the biggest problems they seem to have is retention. While they can coerce workers to join the Unions they cant seem to keep them. They aggressively pursue workers with promises of better wages, benefits and protection of workers rights. Once in the Union the workers find out that the majority of the propaganda they have been given was indeed lies. They find that the Union is just another rather large leech on their paychecks, the wages and benefits in urban jurisdictions are only slightly better than what they were getting and the protection of workers rights is a joke. The first thing a new member discovers is fees. Mandatory Monthly dues. A mandatory assessment for every hour they work. Mandatory Annuity deductions. If they are lucky enough to be a victim of the NYC District Council they are faced with a mandatory organizing deduction and have $250 removed from there vacation fund account to see to it that they fulfill the imposed mandatory participation. All these can be increased at the will of the Union even if it is in direct violation of the LMRDA. The second thing a new member finds out is all those Workers rights protections they showed them in the little bylaws books and contract books are a joke. They find that the only rules enforced in those books are the ones that allow the Union to collect the fees and deductions as well as impose fines. The third thing they notice is that although they have a raise negotiated every year the Union at its discretion takes it back and allocates it as they see fit. Again Union members have no rights to wages that they are earning and the Union can make deductions from their paychecks at will which brings us to number four. The last thing a new member learns is that the New Union vision as created by Douglas McCarron of the UBC is called Corporate Unionism and a tiered management system. For this vision to work all members Democratic rights must be removed. That is exactly what has happened to the UBC. The new member discovers that they have no rights to the control of their wages. benefits, health care or any other facet of their Union. They soon discover that their Union Officers insist that they need to think and decide for the members and its to bad if the members do not agree. Now most never stay around long enough to get to number five. The fifth that new members find out is that the Union Officers are doing with all the money they are taking from their hard earned wages. Perhaps HR 800 RH needs to include another Section 5 of the Act which strengthens enforcement against Labor Organizations which mislead workers or misrepresent available conditions or benefits of Union membership in their attempt to coerce workers to join a Union. Perhaps the decline in Union membership is inevitable. We have seen an increase in wages and benefits to skilled tradesman. While they are still not as good as with Union Membership the gap has closed. There are also national figures which show a shortage of skilled tradesman in many areas of the country. This shortage has allowed journeyman to command higher wages. Perhaps Labor Unions should take steps to attract skilled workers instead of creating conditions that make the decision to move to Unionism not worth the effort. It is the actions taken by the Unions themselves that have created the move away from the Unions. I find it hard to believe that HR 800 RH is the magic bullet to cure the decline in Union members. When Organized Labor takes the steps to remove carpetbaggers like Douglas McCarron and others like him from labor. When Organized Labor reverts to Unionism that supports workers rights. When labor again works to increase workers wages and benefits and cleans house on those within labor that are lining their pockets at the expense of the working member. Then perhaps we will see an increase in active Union membership. SEC. 5. STRENGTHENING ENFORCEMENT. (a) Injunctions Against Unfair Labor Practices During Organizing Drives- (1) Whenever it is charged-- ` (A) that any Union Officer,Organizer or Salt -- ( i) willfully misleads workers in an attempt to coerce them to join a labor Union (ii) pressures,harrases, threatens or intimidates workers (iii) willfully misrepresents benefits,wages ,rights or any other quarentee for joining said Union (B)it shall be ruled that the Officer,Organizer or Salt has engaged in an unfair labor practice (C) and it further ordered that the preliminary investigation of such charge shall be made forthwith and given priority over all other cases except cases of like character in the office where it is filed or to which it is referred.' (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT (b) Remedies for Violations- (1) BACKPAY- Section 10(c) of the National Labor Relations Act (29 U.S.C. 160(c)) is amended by striking `And provided further,' and inserting `Provided further, That if the Board finds that an Union Represenative has discriminated against an employee in violation of subsection (a)(3) of section 8 while employees of the employer were seeking representation by a labor organization, or during the period after a labor organization was recognized as a representative defined in subsection (a) of section 9 until the first collective bargaining contract was entered into between the employer and the representative, the Board in such order shall award the employee back pay and, in addition, 2 times that amount as liquidated damages: Provided further,'. (2) CIVIL PENALTIES- Section 12 of the National Labor Relations Act (29 U.S.C. 162) is amended-- (A) by striking `Any' and inserting `(a) Any'; and (B) by adding at the end the following: `(b) Any Union Officer,Organizer or Salt who willfully or repeatedly commits any unfair labor practice subsections shall, in addition to any make-whole remedy ordered, be subject to a civil penalty of not to exceed $20,000 for each violation. In determining the amount of any penalty under this section, the Board shall consider the gravity of the unfair labor practice and the impact of the unfair labor practice on the charging party, on other persons seeking to exercise rights guaranteed by this Act, or on the public interest.'. HR 800 RH
Employee Free Choice Act
This is the bill that Union leaders proclaim will reverse the decline in Union membership. But will it. You decide. Read the act here.
While I find the proposed new regulations creating tougher penalties for companies who try to intimidate and harass workers who would Unionize welcome I am totally against the replacing secret ballot votes with authorization cards. Those that favor the act claim that the authorization cards would curb harassment of employees by business. Those that oppose the provision claim that the card system would open employees to harassment from Union officials. So who is correct. There is plenty of evidence that shows us that management has a history of intimidation, retaliation and other anti union activities. Labor Unions also have a history of the same intimidation and harassment that those opposed to the bill claim. It is my opinion that a secret ballot vote system must stay in place. Organized labor has proven that it cannot be trusted with an authorization card system.
While proponents of Section 2 of the Act claim that a card system will limit the ability to intimidate workers I must disagree. It will only increase it by giving Pro Union organizers and officers the ability to pressure workers to sign. The new catch phrase for labor will be Sign!Sign!Sign! . With a card system workers will be subject to unfair peer pressure and possible retaliation by the pro Union faction for refusal to join. I have been in many situations where a worker will go along with the group just to avoid conflict. It is ONLY with the anoniminity of the secret ballot vote that the workers can express their true desires. While Organized Labor and Business continue the battle to gain advantage for their money making agendas our only concern is for the worker. Organized labor claims to champion workers rights, wages and health care issues. The facts say otherwise. The climate of labor unions today has changed dramatically to the detriment of workers rights. The UBC under the leadership of Douglas McCarron has led the way in the destruction of organized labor. Mr. McCarron and his followers have pursued an agenda which has undermined the democratic rights of Union members, decreased wages, cut health and pension benefits and instituted a form of Corporate Unionism that only cares about its bottom line and not workers rights. Union officers enjoy quarter and half million dollar salaries and multiple pension plans. They have board meetings at Florida Resorts, Yacht Clubs and Vegas Casinos all at the expense of the Unions. At the same time they are cutting Union members wages and health benefits. Union members see declines in their pension benefits while the officers collect multiple pensions. Are these the Champions of Labor we want to entrust with an authorization card system. I think not.
Organized Labor claims that the Employee Free Choice Act will change the steady decrease in Union membership. Although the United Brotherhood of Carpenters has dumped ridiculous sums on organizing they cannot provide figures that show an increase in Union membership to justify the expenditure. In fact the US Bureau of Labor Statistics in January reported a 12% drop in Union membership in 2006. Unions blame the decline on “aggressive tactics by Big business” The UBC, Teamsters and the rest of the Change to Win cohorts like to blame it on the AFL-CIO. Perhaps the Unions need to look within. One of the biggest problems they seem to have is retention. While they can coerce workers to join the Unions they cant seem to keep them. They aggressively pursue workers with promises of better wages, benefits and protection of workers rights. Once in the Union the workers find out that the majority of the propaganda they have been given was indeed lies. They find that the Union is just another rather large leech on their paychecks, the wages and benefits in urban jurisdictions are only slightly better than what they were getting and the protection of workers rights is a joke.
The first thing a new member discovers is fees. Mandatory Monthly dues. A mandatory assessment for every hour they work. Mandatory Annuity deductions. If they are lucky enough to be a victim of the NYC District Council they are faced with a mandatory organizing deduction and have $250 removed from there vacation fund account to see to it that they fulfill the imposed mandatory participation. All these can be increased at the will of the Union even if it is in direct violation of the LMRDA. The second thing a new member finds out is all those Workers rights protections they showed them in the little bylaws books and contract books are a joke. They find that the only rules enforced in those books are the ones that allow the Union to collect the fees and deductions as well as impose fines. The third thing they notice is that although they have a raise negotiated every year the Union at its discretion takes it back and allocates it as they see fit. Again Union members have no rights to wages that they are earning and the Union can make deductions from their paychecks at will which brings us to number four. The last thing a new member learns is that the New Union vision as created by Douglas McCarron of the UBC is called Corporate Unionism and a tiered management system. For this vision to work all members Democratic rights must be removed. That is exactly what has happened to the UBC. The new member discovers that they have no rights to the control of their wages. benefits, health care or any other facet of their Union. They soon discover that their Union Officers insist that they need to think and decide for the members and its to bad if the members do not agree. Now most never stay around long enough to get to number five. The fifth that new members find out is that the Union Officers are doing with all the money they are taking from their hard earned wages. Perhaps HR 800 RH needs to include another Section 5 of the Act which strengthens enforcement against Labor Organizations which mislead workers or misrepresent available conditions or benefits of Union membership in their attempt to coerce workers to join a Union.
Perhaps the decline in Union membership is inevitable. We have seen an increase in wages and benefits to skilled tradesman. While they are still not as good as with Union Membership the gap has closed. There are also national figures which show a shortage of skilled tradesman in many areas of the country. This shortage has allowed journeyman to command higher wages. Perhaps Labor Unions should take steps to attract skilled workers instead of creating conditions that make the decision to move to Unionism not worth the effort. It is the actions taken by the Unions themselves that have created the move away from the Unions. I find it hard to believe that HR 800 RH is the magic bullet to cure the decline in Union members. When Organized Labor takes the steps to remove carpetbaggers like Douglas McCarron and others like him from labor. When Organized Labor reverts to Unionism that supports workers rights. When labor again works to increase workers wages and benefits and cleans house on those within labor that are lining their pockets at the expense of the working member. Then perhaps we will see an increase in active Union membership.

SEC. 5. STRENGTHENING ENFORCEMENT.
(a) Injunctions Against Unfair Labor Practices During Organizing Drives-
(1) Whenever it is charged–
` (A) that any Union Officer,Organizer or Salt –
( i) willfully misleads workers in an attempt to coerce them to join a labor Union
(ii) pressures,harrases, threatens or intimidates workers
(iii) willfully misrepresents benefits,wages ,rights or any other quarentee for joining said Union
(B)it shall be ruled that the Officer,Organizer or Salt has engaged in an unfair labor practice
(C) and it further ordered that the preliminary investigation of such charge shall be made forthwith and given priority over all other cases except cases of like character in the office where it is filed or to which it is referred.’
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT
(b) Remedies for Violations-
(1) BACKPAY- Section 10(c) of the National Labor Relations Act (29 U.S.C. 160(c)) is amended by striking `And provided further,’ and inserting `Provided further, That if the Board finds that an Union Represenative has discriminated against an employee in violation of subsection (a)(3) of section 8 while employees of the employer were seeking representation by a labor organization, or during the period after a labor organization was recognized as a representative defined in subsection (a) of section 9 until the first collective bargaining contract was entered into between the employer and the representative, the Board in such order shall award the employee back pay and, in addition, 2 times that amount as liquidated damages: Provided further,’.
(2) CIVIL PENALTIES- Section 12 of the National Labor Relations Act (29 U.S.C. 162) is amended–
(A) by striking `Any’ and inserting `(a) Any’; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
`(b) Any Union Officer,Organizer or Salt who willfully or repeatedly commits any unfair labor practice subsections
shall, in addition to any make-whole remedy ordered, be subject to a civil penalty of not to exceed $20,000 for each violation. In determining the amount of any penalty under this section, the Board shall consider the gravity of the unfair labor practice and the impact of the unfair labor practice on the charging party, on other persons seeking to exercise rights guaranteed by this Act, or on the public interest.’.

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