Gov. McDonnell Gets It

Newly-elected Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell understands the impact the Card Check Forced Unionism bill would have on the economy:

 ”I think binding arbitration is actually the most egregious part of EFCA,” he said. “Allowing a federal arbitrator to come in and basically write a contract between labor and management if an agreement cannot be reached after 120 days is a horrible policy. This will put a terrific burden on business to cave into any number of demands. Binding arbitration is yet another example of an over burdensome federal government that wants to get involved in micromanaging the free enterprise system. It would hurt our competitiveness in Virginia.”

Right to Work Means Better Education for Kids

The Washington Examiner  reports on how Virginia’s Right to Work law allows states to implement reforms that offer better educational opportunities for children:

An inability to remove bad teachers from the classroom has stymied education reform in Maryland and the District of Columbia, according to a report released Monday by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and two prominent think tanks.

About 77 percent of D.C. Public Schools principals and 72 percent of Maryland’s principals said “teacher unions or associations are a barrier to the removal of ineffective teachers,” compared with a national average of about 61 percent of principals.

In Virginia, a right-to-work state, less than one-third of principals cited the same troubles. That data was collected as part of a U.S. Education Department survey in 2007-08, and compiled with dozens of other measures for a “Leaders and Laggards” state report card on innovation in education. The left-leaning Center for American Progress and the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute helped to write the report.

While Virginia and federal law protect every individual’s right to join a union, the Commonwealth of Virginia prohibits the recognition of union officials as bargaining agents for government employees. The bill was signed into law by then Governor Doug Wilder in 1993.

Report_ Inability to remove bad teachers hurts D.C., Md. _ Washington Examin_Page_1

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Posted in: Maryland, National Right to Work Act, Virginia

This past election, opponents of forced unionism in Virginia sent the union bosses’ handpicked politicians a LOUD and CLEAR message . . .

. . . supporting Big Labor’s forced-unionism agenda doesn’t pay politically.

You see, it’s no secret that forced unionism was one of THE TOP ISSUES in Virginia’s election.

In fact, all three of Virginia’s winning statewide candidates — Governor candidate Bob McDonnell, Lt. Governor Bill Bolling, and Attorney General candidate Ken Cuccinelli — pledged 100% opposition to forced unionism.

Not only that, but Bob McDonnell made opposition to Big Labor’s federal “Card Check” power grab and protection of Virginia’s Right to Work Law central campaign issues on his way to victory.

The losing candidates?

They ran and hid, trying to publicly duck the forced-unionism issue while counting on Big Labor’s electioneering machine to catapult them to victory.

And they paid for it at the polls, as pro-Right to Work candidates whipped them by an average of 15% each.

But with “Card Check” still at the top of the new Democrat Congress’s agenda, did your U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Jim Webb also “get the message?”

Well, you can MAKE SURE they do by signing this petition demanding Mark Warner and Jim Webb vote AGAINST the Card Check Forced Unionism Bill at every opportunity.

As you know, should “Card Check” pass, workers would no longer be able to vote for or against union boss “representation” in a secret ballot election.

Instead, the union bosses would dispose of the secret ballot election and intimidate workers one-on-one — or three-on-one — into signing so-called “union authorization cards.”

And, of course, Big Labor has yet another ticking time bomb hidden in the “Card Check” legislation.

If the union bosses can drag out negotiations with an employer past 90 days by making outrageous demands, then Obama Administration bureaucrats will have the power to use this so-called “impasse” as an excuse to write a labor contract and FORCE its terms and conditions of employment upon those workers!

So, you see, Big Labor wants to strip workers not only of the right to a secret ballot but also of the right to vote on their own contracts as well!

And, as I’ve told you before, the union bosses have another trick up their sleeves to make doubly sure they finally “cash in” with the Card Check Forced Unionism Bill.

Word is, several of Big Labor’s closest allies in the U.S. Senate have been working feverishly to craft a so-called “Plan B” version — even acting like they might drop the “Card Check” provision entirely from the bill.

Their goal?

Convince key Senators like Mark Warner and Jim Webb that it’s “politically ok” to support their scheme.

Well, you and I both know this bill is dangerous with or without “Card Check!”

Whatever “final” bill Big Labor’s allies stamp their approval on WILL NOT be some watered-down “compromise” bill that causes no harm to American workers and our fragile economy!

That’s why it’s more important than ever that you let Mark Warner and Jim Webb know that should they support ANY VERSION of the Card Check Forced Unionism Bill, they’ll pay a severe price for it.

The fact is, should ANY version of “Card Check” pass, it would:

*** Force millions of additional working Americans to pay union dues under the threat of losing their jobs, filling Big Labor’s coffers with hundreds of millions of forced-dues dollars;

*** Dramatically increase the wasteful work rules, hate-the-boss propaganda, slowdowns and bitter strikes that shut down businesses and destroy jobs, ensuring that even more plants are closed and more jobs are shipped overseas or lost forever;

*** Enable Big Labor to pump even more campaign cash into the coffers of its radical, tax-and-spend politicians like Barack Obama and Harry Reid, who, in turn, will look for even greater ways to increase the union bosses’ forced-dues empire.

So please, click here to send a petition to Jim Webb and Mark Warner demanding they vote against Card Check Forced Unionism.

And, if you can, please make your most generous contribution of $250, $100, $50 or $35 to help with this program.

Big Labor would love nothing more than to ram their radical “Card Check” scheme into law by the end of the year.

So, we MUST act now. Let’s use the powerful message delivered by Virginians on Tuesday to show Senators Warner and Webb that support for forced unionism comes with a heavy, heavy price.

So please, sign this petition.  

Sincerely,

Mark Mix
President

P.S. Forced-unionism supporters went down in flames in this past Tuesday’s elections in Virginia.

So today, our job is to make sure Senators Mark Warner and Jim Webb know there will be a heavy price to pay should they support ANY VERSION of Big Labor’s “Card Check” Bill.

The Virginia Public Access Project reported that United Association labor  union, formerly known as the Plumbers Union,  bosses chose to flush ten of thousands of dollars down the Deeds for Virginia Governor drain. Other reports declared that Big Labor Bosses were already Creigh Deeds biggest supporters.

About the time the Plumbers union bosses decided to join other union bosses in their rush flush, Deeds was 18-points behind according to a Virginia Commonwealth University poll. Based on the election results, the Plumbers union money did little to help Deeds.

According to the Virginia Public Access Project, “Organized Labor” made roughly $5.36 million in reported contributions to statewide and legislative candidates and committees in Virginia in 2009. Democrat gubernatorial nominee Creigh Deeds received approximately $2.5 million from Big Labor including public employee unions.

Probably the most well-known of the Plumbers union’s upper echelon is disgraced boss Martin Maddaloni who approved a pension fund scandal that drained over $300 million of rank-and-file pension funds into a Florida hotel.

Earlier this month, the AFL-CIO awarded Senator Creigh Deeds “Legislator of the Year” for his support of forced unionism. In his thank you speech, Deeds gushed, “Before I first ran for office, I believed in the power of organized labor; during my 17 years in the legislature … And, when I’m Governor, you won’t just have a friend in Richmond-you’ll have a partner.” Well, Big Labor will still have Deeds as a partner in the Virginia Legislature.

2009 Drudge Report Post-Election VA by 18 NJ by 6

2009 Drudge Report Post-Election VA by 18 NJ by 6

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Posted in: SEIU, Virginia

Big Labor Biggest Contributor to Deeds

According to the Washington Post, Democrat candidate for Virginia Governor Creigh Deeds’ biggest group of contributors is forced-dues funded Big Labor:

The Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP) has been working hard to slice and dice finance reports submitted by the campaigns yesterday and has already reported some very interesting findings.

VPAP also shows us that of the $16.95 million Deeds has raised for his campaign committee, he has taken in $9.4 million from Virginians and $7.4 million from outside the state. Broken down by industry, outside of political committees, Deeds has received the most money from organized labor, followed by the legal industry and then real estate and construction.

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Posted in: Forced-Dues for Politics, Legislation, SEIU, Virginia

More Money for Deeds — done

Union bosses are doubling down in Virginia’s Governor race, dropping another $400,000 to try to push  Creigh Deeds over the finish line.  The American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees union, AFSCME, dropped the money bomb recently to help pave the way for monopoly bargaining privileges over government employees – something that has remained elusive for Big Labor in Virginia.  For sure, government workers can join unions in Virginia,  the problem in AFSCME’s eyes is that they can’t FORCE government employees to accept them.  They need more political power to get that deed done.

Kimberly Strassel on Virginia Democrat Creigh Deeds stalking horse candidacy to repeal Virginia’s Right to Work law:   

And don’t forget Big Labor, which worries that a prominent Democratic defeat might slow its political momentum in Washington. Labor has also been itching to make purple Virginia a proving ground for ambitions like rolling back right-to-work laws. The unions need Mr. Deeds to win.

These big forces are pouring everything into a Deeds victory. Presidential and DNC fund raising helped the relatively unknown Democrat raise $3.5 million the last quarter alone, a bigger haul than any gubernatorial candidate in state history. Unions, including biggies like the SEIU, chipped in nearly a quarter.  

Mr. Deeds needs that money, yet the penalty has been guilt by association. His opponent, Republican and former state Attorney General Robert F. McDonnell, made a big bet early on that the very Virginia voters who last year helped Mr. Obama win the state today have grave doubts about his agenda, and are wary of making the same mistake. Mr. Deeds has played right into his hands.

Creigh Deeds Pandering to Big Labor

Virginia’s Democrat gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds is in hot water for promising to undermine the state’s Right to Work law.  As we have written before, big labor is spending big money to help Deeds and it appears their support has clouded his vision for the future of the state.

Unions Funnel Money for Deeds

Incredibly Creigh Deeds, the Democrat gubernatorial candidate is trying to walk a tight rope between his public support for the state’s Right to Work law and his union masters who are, according to the Washington Post, “investing heavily in Deeds.”  So far, big labor has contributed over $1.4 million to Deeds and that doesn’t count millions to state Democrat party operations and get-out-the-vote efforts.  Almost one fourth of all donations to Deeds are from union bosses.

Attention Virginia Voters

Politico.com has a critical story about big labor’s attempt to buy the Virginia gubernatorial election for Democrat Creigh Deeds:

Organized labor is betting big in Virginia and New Jersey, where two critical off-year gubernatorial races are taking place in November…In Virginia, Creigh Deeds has been flooded with more than $600,000 in campaign contributions from unions since winning theVirginia Democratic gubernatorial nomination in early June.  Last week, the AFL-CIO  launched its first major salvo in Virginia, organizing an all-day canvass in support of Deeds in Northern Virginia, Norfolk, Richmond and Roanoke, featuring workers armed with talking points slamming Republican Bob McDonnell for supporting “the rejection of $125 million in federal assistance for Virginia’s unemployed workers.”

For labor, it’s an all-out, no-holds-barred effort in both states aimed at pushing Corzine and Deeds over the finish line.  “There is a lot of attention being placed on these races,” said Larry Scanlon, political director for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. “I’ll tell you how big a deal they are: We’re already committing at least $2 million to New Jersey and have already spent $1 million in Virginia.”

The old adage about you can tell a politician by the friends they keep is certainly true this year.