Modern News

The AFL-CIO recently posted a http://blog.aflcio.org/2009/07/20/contractors-association-supports-employee-free-choice/>story on its blog that tired to paint a “contractor’s group” that is supporting the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) as if it were an industry group unconnected to unions and coming over to its side on the EFCA. Of course, the AFL-CIO blog sort of failed to mention that the “contractors” in question are solidly unionized. The truth is, it is not just a normal industry group but one solidly on the side of unions in the first place.

The AFL-CIO blog points to the announcement of the Association of Union Masonry Contractors and its endorsement of the EFCA.

The International Council of Employers (ICE), an association of thousands of masonry contractors, has endorsed the Employee Free Choice Act.

The ICE is composed of some 10,000 contractors who employ members of the Bricklayers (BAC) union. Fred Kintader, the president of ICE, announced the association’s support for Employee Free Choice in the latest issue of ICE Voice, the association newsletter.

Kintader said that the endorsement came after a long debate in which contractors concluded that the Employee Free Choice Act will be in the best interest of both workers and employers in the masonry industry. ICE and the Bricklayers frequently collaborate on issues like training, workplace safety, health coverage and pensions.

These contractors join more than a thousand businesses around the country that have expressed support for the Employee Free Choice Act.

Notice how the AFL-CIO blog post tries to paint this group as mere “contractors” and avoids revealing the group’s full name? The union blogger calls it the International Council of Employers (ICE), but does not reveal that its larger name is the Association of Union Masonry Contractors.

The truth is, this “ICE” group is a union concern, not just a group of “contractors.” So, it shouldn’t be surprising that this organization has come out in full-throated support of the EFCA, a bill heavily pushed by unions.

The AFL-CIO does its level best to spin this announced support of a union bill by a contractor’s group heavily connected to unions as if the group were from the business sector crossing over to join unions on the EFCA. Unfortunately, it is a misleading presentation.

It all makes one wonder: if they’ve got to lie about it, it MUST be a bad deal.

**UPDATE**, it looks like the AFL-CIO blog has pulled this story because now there is a 404 notice at the link that previously had this story.