Tell Lou Dobbs to stop peddling false information about the Employee Free Choice Act
By John Amato Thursday Feb 19, 2009 1:00pmThis really isn't complicated. The Employee Free Choice Act gives the workers the right to select how they will form the union. At this point, the employers have that right and it's not fair. Lou Dobbs knows this, but needs to keep repeating republican talking points.
DOBBS: We well, the American people voted for lots of things, but I don't know a lot of people voted to end a secret ballot. That's pretty radical, even in this era of nationalization and socialization of our economy, isn't it?
That's just a lie Lou. The workers can vote to keep it "secret."
Dobbs' claim that EFCA would eliminate the "secret ballot" in union authorization elections, which has been a centerpiece in a U.S. Chamber of Commerce-funded anti-union PR campaign (see Nation, 1/26/09), is completely false. As the text of the act (H.R. 800, 3/2/07) reveals, EFCA contains no language about eliminating the "secret ballot" enshrined in the National Labor Relations Act under Section 9 e.
Under EFCA, workers would still have the right to vote in a National Labor Review Board (NLRB) "secret ballot" election if 30 percent of the workforce signs cards, just as they do now. EFCA would change the process of union formation by giving workers seeking to join a union an additional option of winning union representation after a majority of the workforce signs cards, through a new provision to the act (section 9 c 6).
As American Rights at Work points out, this method of union sign-up, known as "majority sign-up" or "card check," is already recognized under current labor law, but only when the employer approves it. EFCA would represent a change in such union drives by removing the ability of employers to withhold recognition and to insist on an NLRB election.
ACTION: Ask Lou Dobbs to stop repeating the business lobby's false charge that EFCA would eliminate secret ballot elections.
CONTACT:
Lou Dobbs
Email:lou.dobbs@turner.comCNN:
212-275-7800
The media has already adopted the konservative talking point and don't even use the proper name when talking about this important bill. If you want to make a republican scream, just mention the word, "Card Check." It drives them crazy, but they couldn't tell you anything about it except the lie driven media's "secret ballot" nonsense. And as usual the Blue Dogs are acting like konservatives once again:
Blue Dogs To House Dem Leaders: Hold Off On Employee Free ChoiceBlue Dog Democrats in the House have asked House Dem leaders to postpone a vote on the Employee Free Choice Act until after the Senate votes on it, and the Democratic leadership has agreed, a senior House Dem aide tells me.
The discussions are likely to disappoint some in the labor movement, who see Employee Free Choice as their top priority and had hoped the House would act quickly and pass a strong bill before the Senate passes a weaker version. Proponents and foes of the measure alike say the Senate is expected to be the major battleground over the bill because of the tight Dem majority.
Blue Dog Dems have told House leader Steny Hoyer that they don’t want a vote on Employee Free Choice before the Senate because they fear they’ll end up having to vote for two different versions of the measure, compounding the political damage they may face in moderate districts, the aide says.
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If they can vote to keep it secret, then why don't they just get it over with and use that vote to decide whether to unionize or not?
http://tiny.cc/eRBPS
Mr. Dobbs,
Normally, I wouldn't waste my time with someone like you; you really don't speak for me or to me. You believe in things that are so wrong and mean-spirited that I could never, ever listen to you. You appear to be a tool of the GOP and that means you have lost touch with America! But when you outright lie about something like The Employee Free Choice Act, you should be called on it! So there, you lied! Don't you think you owe your viewers, the few of them that you have, an apology? I won't hold my breath because I'm sure your arrogance prevents you from doing something civil like apologizing.
Jac
well said!
the illegal immigrants won't unionize and charge you more for your servants.
"Blue Dog Democrats in the House have asked House Dem leaders to postpone a vote on the Employee Free Choice Act until after the Senate votes on it, and the Democratic leadership has agreed, a senior House Dem aide tells me."
I followed the link and tend to trust the source, Greg Sargent. But I wonder why Greg did not try and get Steny Hoyer or someone from Pelosi's office on the record before running with this story. It sounds to me like someone is leaking this to try and see how loud labor screams at the House for not moving fast on this. Given the Senate, "waiting" for them to vote might as well mean never taking a vote in the House.
It's becoming clear the it's going to be a prudent strategy to assume that the Blue Dogs are really Republicans. Poseurs/GOPer operatives. Given that they are going to continue to undermine every Democratic goal, they should either all be targeted for removal from office through the elections or efforts should be made to elect enough additional real Democrats, that even if the Blue Dogs openly collaborate with the Republicans, their combined numbers will be too small to make them relevant. That would require voting an additional 25 or so Republicans and Blue dogs in the House and 7 or 8 in the Senate out of office. This is doable if a sufficient grass roots effort can be put together. At the top of the list of those who need to be voted out of the Senate should probably be Diane Feinstein, even though she isn't considered a Blue Dog.For that matter, I would love to see Hoyer and Pelosi booted out on their asses, too.
I can't stomach this smiling, condescending, fat prick madman hypocrite, who probably married his illegal immigrant housekeeper. Dobbs cons/frightens average working folks every night by telling them that Mexicans are crossing the border in mass with drugs and violent crime, while stealing their jobs.
Unions are bad for America.
Ask any CEO taking home his multimillion dollar bonus and he will tell you so.
More women are victims of domestic violence on Super Bowl Sunday than on any other day of the year.
sent him a nice long e-mail and a phone message. This guy is always talking about the middle class disappearing in this country, but when something comes along that can possibly bring it back, EFCA, he takes to the air and demonizes it. Unions may not be perfect, but we damn sure know that that most employers are not known for being altruistic. Human rights will always take a back seat to investor profits if the choice is left up to people like Lou.
I used to like to watch Lou, but now I can hardly stand to hear his name.
Sick BillO's finest stalkers after Lou, and get photos and interviews with his illegal lawn servants, and maids. Would be priceless.
Done.
In many ways, I think Dobbs is more dangerous than Billo.
Billo is a clown and not very bright. He's desperate for strokes and approval. Lou Dobbs is smart. He knows how to spin and distort the message to make viewer believe he's reasonable.
Dobbs is a master propaganda merchant.
i would rather tell CNN to stop peddling lou dobbs
CNN and Lou 'i am a giant, hissing, oozing, corporate hemmoroid' Dobbs are one and the same. After all they had that fucking freak called Glen 'i love my squeaky toys' Beck for how long before he got paid more money by the looney tunes channel called Fox Bullshit. And let's remember CNN's performance during the 'debate' over the Dem's stimulus bill: they rolled out wall to wall Repiglicans to put it down with their lies. No Dems. No actual economists. Wall to wall repiglicans are being cheer leaded by the corporate hemmorid himself: Lou Dobbs
Isn't that his job John? Isn't that what all these "media" morons do daily is peddle false info intentionally?
But the whole purpose of Lou Dobbs and people like him (Hannity, O'Reilly, Beck, et al) IS to lie. They can't be bothered with boring, unexciting facts. It's newsfotainment at its propagandizing worst.
I believe we should go to the old fashioned trick of lighting poop and ringing their door bells!
IN REALITY THOUGH.
I have stopped watching CNN or checking their website. It trumps all that is good in the nation with Republican Talking Points.
email to Dobbs.
Mr. Dobbs thank you for continuing my disgust with your show on CNN. You sit on a thrown of lies. It's called rights for the America people I suggest you look it up. The Act simply allows the worker not the employer their right to unionize and they CAN do it by secret ballot. I will continue to not watch your show, please apologize to Union workers and people with jobs that don't include a camera, microphone and a ton of makeup. People who truly care about America deserve not to be lied to simply for your ideological warfare.
Regards,
Frank
Let's initiate a national petition to the DoJ for it to initiate a fraud action against CNN, FOX and other broadcasters who are in the business of peddling lies that are disguised as news reporting, being that their intent is to manipulate people into supporting positions that harm them, and whereas as often as not succumbing to the intent of the deceptions, and lying manipulation directly results in financial harm.
These networks are nothing more than RICO enterprises who are using the public's airwaves and bandwidth to defraud them. It's time to stop them.
That prosecutes lies , misstatements and propaganda for the news media... THis is why Bush and the republicans still have people believing the lies and BS from Fox ,,, Rush ,,, Lou Dobbs and other republican corporate BS'ers
Lots of Americans that listen to Rush the pill popper , Fox news and other corporate republican BS'ers believe that it must be the truth or they could not make the statement they make...
At one time I believe the news have to be the truth or they have to air an apology or some type of action would be taken against them..
There is a law already on the books that they can be prosecuted on: the RICO act, and these propaganda outlets satisfy all criteria for RICO prosecutions.
The following link, Cornell Law School has the entire statute;
http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/pIch96....
It's very interesting reading. There are some hurdles that the courts have generally required must be satisfied before RICO actions can be initiated against a business entity:
Must be an entity engaged in interstate commerce.......√
Must be an ongoing criminal enterprise................√
Must demonstrate a pattern of criminality...........√
Must be the cause of financial harm............√
The ongoing criminal activity must have occured within 10 years of initiation of the RICO action..........√
The criminal activities must be one of the crimes listed in the act........√
In the case of these propaganda organs, they satisfy all criteria, and the crimes would include fraud, wire fraud, even intimidation. Monetary damages include automatic treble damages. Notably, all participants in the criminal activity are personally liable, they cannot be indemnified by their employer. Their wealth and assets are put at risk. All participants in RICO crimes can also be criminalpenalties in addition to civil penalties.
repetition and volume
I can't listen to Lou Dobbs anymore. For someone supposedly "independent," he is awfully biased.
do away with the secret ballot. Correct me if I'm wrong: if the majority -50 percent plus one other vote- signs a union card during the beginning of the union process then the union would be voted in (under this new potential law). So Dobbs is right. It does do away with the secret ballot. Right now, 30 percent gets at least a secret ballot, but almost all the time unions usually ask for a majority (signed cards) before they even begin the fight to get a union in a workplace. Now under this law they would just need that and they're in.
I really don't agree because I work with some very young guys and you could probably easily convince them to sign anything and promise them "big bucks" if they sign for a union. So many may sign without thinking it through. Again, not totally against unions but I'm afraid people would be signing up for something without knowing the pluses and possible minuses of signing (union dues, seniority sometimes gets better treatment and so on).
However, I don't see how Dobbs is wrong. This is clearly a move to make it much easier to get a union in a workplace. And that's regardless of whether you're a supporter or not.
I've been involved in two union fights - one successful for the union and one not. And I'll tell you that the Unions don't bother to try to get a union in unless the have majority. So technically, under the way unions operate, yes. Dobbs is right. And I hate the guy. I mean really hate his anti-immigration nonsense. But we should be honest here.
I'm in management, and it's been my observation that shops usually go union because management does stupid things and refuses to stop doing stupid things. Stupid, self-defeating short sightedness as a business, management and leadership plan is invariably the root cause for unionization. If companies treated their employees well and with justice, if they used a little wisdom in appointing members of management, they wouldn't be facing unionization actions.
I've been in the peculiar situation of advising employees, at risk to my job, to vote union, because there was no realistic chance that they would ever be treated well and with dignity absent collective bargaining and the protections that a union is intended to assure and enforce. I work in mega-corporate America, where employees are viewed, quite literally and in contradiction of the inevitable elaborate and self-congratulatory propaganda to the otherwise, as chattels. Actions always speak louder than words, and employers always betray their true values by the way they act, by the way they treat their employees. Routinely, they are shocked when the employees correctly read their employer's true intentions, as revealed by their acts and consistant behavior. Dobbs' real objection - or whoever's it is who remotely operates him - isn't that some law might facilitate unionization. He's worried and indignant that workers might broadly acquire the power to deny employers the ability to reduce them to the state of chattels and mere ojects. Now, that's a scary thought and prospect.
dobbs is riding limbaugh and hannity and that is the problem
GOP talk radio has been spewing these lies for months. dobbs rode their bandwagon on the immigration issue. if lazy liars like dobbs didn't have that coordinated uncontested repetition to launder their talking points they'd sound like liars and wouldn't last. fix the talk radio problem and dobbs will become irrelevant
I lost partial sight in one eye from looking at Lou Dobbs mouth without wearing shades. The rest of what comes out of his mouth is decidedly of a brindle-brown color and safer to view, but much more dangerous to believe.
I took the suggestion and wrote old Lou a thoughtful. respectful not overly long e-mail asking that he not mischaracterize EFCA and a day later got a return receipt indicating that it had been deleted without being read.
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