Democrat Tears: Labor Edition

Oh noes! The mean Republicans are coming to town and now the thug union leaders won't be able to rip off taxpayers for their members.

It's somewhat ironic that the bitterest tears are the sweetest.

“Republicans are likely to pursue a version of what Samuel Gompers often said: ‘Reward your friends and punish your enemies,’ ” said Joseph McCartin, a labor historian at Georgetown University.

One bill that is popular among Republicans would prohibit employers from ever agreeing to unionization through “card check,” a process often used today in which an employer recognizes a union as soon as a majority of workers sign pro-union cards — without holding a secret-ballot election. Another bill would severely crimp labor’s campaign spending by barring unions from using any portion of a union member’s dues money for political purposes unless the member first gives written permission.

A Republican-led House or Senate is expected to be more eager than a Democratic-controlled one to approve free trade agreements that unions oppose, and to be more reluctant to enact stimulus plans that unions have supported, like the recent bill that gave states $26 billion to help save the jobs of teachers, police and other government employees. A Republican-controlled House or Senate would probably block a labor-backed bill that would give firefighters and police officers in every state the right to unionize.

“We fear that the Republicans are on the march, and that’s why we’re doing everything we can to stop them,” said Gerald McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which is spending $91 million in the two-year campaign cycle.

Mr. McEntee praised the $26 billion jobs bill. “That saved literally thousands of public-sector jobs,” he said. “I don’t think we’ll see something like that passed under John Boehner,” the Ohio Republican who is expected to become House Speaker if the Republicans win control.

Wait. $26 billion dollars saved "literally thousands" of jobs? Not tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands but "literally thousands"? Yeah, you guys gotta go.

It's going to be hard to get new restrictions on unions with Obama in the White House vetoing everything as a down payment on labor's support in '12. Hopefully in 2 years Republican reinforcements will arrive in the White House and we can roll this crap back. In the meantime we can stop the bleeding and enjoy their tears but mostly...well, both.

posted by DrewM. at 11:48 AM

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