Mobbed-up union boss sentenced to 57 months of hard time
Last week ATU Local 1181 former president Salvatore “Hotdogs” Battaglia—I couldn’t make up a better name if I tried—was sentenced to 57 months in jail for “racketeering based on the extortion of money from companies operating school buses under contract with the New York City department of Education.” The North Country Gazette reports that Mr. Hotdogs was [more...]

Posted Tue, 01 Jul 2008 .

Tink Fills His Tank With Special Interest Money
Congressional Candidate Elwyn Tinklenberg (MN-6) is making the usual end-of-quarter pitch to raise more money for his campaign. As of this morning he was only a few thousand dollars short of his goal. It’s a safe bet that union special interests have gone a long way toward helping him meet his fundraising goals. What [more...]

Posted Tue, 01 Jul 2008 .

What is Card Check or the Employee Free Choice Act?

Executive Summary
The best decisions are made with the best information—and without coercion. That is true for employees deciding whether to join a union. It is equally true for politicians who are being pressured by labor leaders to codify the union organizing method known as “card check,” a scheme rife with intimidation, coercion, and confusion.
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Introduction
Union officials’ top priority? Ending the secret ballot elections process and the associated protections for employees choosing whether to join a union.
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Shifting Strategies
Few would complain about winning six of 10 fair elections or increasing the number of elections resulting in certifications, but union organizers aren’t looking for fair elections. They want big numbers. And they want them now.
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History
Between 1935 and 1947, the National Labor Relations Act allowed for secret ballot elections or “other suitable methods” to determine union recognition. Union spokespersons often note this fact, but stop here. They fail to acknowledge that in representation cases handled by the NLRB, only an estimated 20 percent were through the card check method.
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