Specter received $235,350 in 2008 from Blank Rome LLP a self described “union avoidance” law firm.
Read the whole article here: http://talkingunion.wordpress.com/2009/03/26/specter-took-250k-from-union-buster-in-2008-then-turned-back-on-workers
Tip of the hat to Alan Hart from UE News for pointing us to this article.- MM
Allow the Senate to vote on the Employee Free Choice Act
Last month we sent an email asking whether Senator Specter was on the side of Rush Limbaugh or on the side of working families. Yesterday he answered the question. Specter came down solidly on the side of Limbaugh and the CEOs of Citigroup, Bank of America and Goldman Sachs.
Specter said he will not allow a Senate vote on the Employee Free Choice Act. In a textbook example of irony, Specter said his reason was his belief in the sanctity of majority voting as a cornerstone of our democracy.
Specter said he will impose his will and refuse to allow the Senate to vote on the Employee Free Choice Act, despite the fact that it is favored by a majority of his fellow Senators, a majority in the House of Representatives, and most importantly, a majority of the American people. Specter said he will use an antiquated Senate rule that allows a minority to block votes to keep this popular bill from passing.
That's not the way the system is supposed to work. And it belies the hypocrisy of Specter's decision.
Click here to tell Senator Specter to let the Senate vote on Employee Free Choice. http://www.keystoneprogress.org/page/s/specterEFCA
If he opposes the bill, he can vote against it, but he should not singlehandedly impose his will on the Senate and working families across the nation.
In Solidarity,
Michael Morrill
Keystone Progress
www.keystoneprogress.org
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More on Employee Free Choice:
When workers are free to choose to join a union, our economy can work for everyone again. That's why we need the Employee Free Choice Act-a bill in Congress that would help to level the playing field and give workers the freedom to choose a union.
Employee Free Choice will allow workers to determine whether or not they want a union, without undue intimidation and interference from the employer. It will let workers decide whether they want to hold an election or simply have a majority sign a petition to determine whether or not they can have a union. Both options exist now, but instead of letting the workers decide, current law allows the employer to decide which method is used.
According to American Rights at Work, the Employee Free Choice Act would:
| We don't usually post news releases from elected officials, but Casey's news release on the Employee Free Choice Act is unusual and remarkable in its characterization of workers' right as a simple matter of justice. -MM For Immediate Release March 10, 2009 |
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| Casey: Bill Protecting Worker Rights More Necessary in Recession “In my judgment, it is appropriate at this hearing to discuss the Employee Free Choice Act, but also the trauma that the American family is living through in this recession. We need to talk about helping to provide economic security for families who don’t have it. One of the best ways to ensure economic security for workers and their families is for that worker to be a member of a union. “The other side has done a good job of making their arguments. I give them credit for their political skill -- even if their arguments are not always accurate. “What you don’t hear is that the Employee Free Choice Act actually gives workers two different ways to choose whether to form a union: through an election process or through majority sign up. The choice is up to the workers. “I’m a Pennsylvanian. We have had a lot of tough years seeing people trampled by corporate power. These troubles marred the last century, but we still have problems today. I have seen anti-union intimidation when firms were brought in to discourage organizing by health care workers. This bill will help preserve the rights of workers. “Contrary to the rhetoric from the other side, the Employee Free Choice Act does not abolish the secret ballot election process. A secret ballot would still be available. If workers prefer to use majority sign up, they could do that as well. “We know from our history that if people collectively bargain and organize for wages and benefits, it is not only good for the workers and their families, but it is also good for the “Allowing people to organize and bargain for their rights and benefits is not just a labor issue; it is an issue of economic justice. “ “This bill can help in the pursuit of economic justice. If we don’t pursue justice, we will be nothing but a band of robbers.” ### | |
EFCA is a simple solution that is supported by a bipartisan coalition in Congress that includes Senator Bob Casey.
Unfortunately, Senator Arlen Specter has not chosen which side he’s on. In an article he wrote for the Harvard Journal on Legislation Sen. Specter declared that he has too many questions about allowing workers to freely organize a union in their workplace to better their wages under EFCA.
Keystone Progress wants to help Sen. Specter make up his mind.
Join us in telling him that American families need the workplace protections provided by the Employee Free Choice Act (S. 1041).http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/s/specterEFCA
Michael Morrill
Executive DirectorKeystone Progresswww.keystoneprogress.org
