Corporate front group spending millions on advertising opposing Employee Free Choice Act

A corporate front group, Americans for Job Security is funding a multi-million dollar ad campaign opposing the Employee Free Choice Act. The group is comprised of members who wish to remain anonymous. The EFCA would allow workers to negotiate with their employer after a simple card check process. Only after an agreement is reached and approved by a majority in a secret ballot election do the employees have a union.

"This attack against working people from a business-funded front group is a desperate attempt to distract from what really matters," says SEIU National Political Director Jon Youngdahl, faulting the ad. "America's families need change that works to rebuild the middle class with the free choice to join unions for better wages, benefits, and retirement security. That's why we need the Employee Free Choice Act. 

:30 "Payback" Transcript 

"He's the corrupt Illinois Governor charged with trying to sell a senate seat.

They're the union the Washington Post connects to the Governor discussing the payoff.

The union bosses spent $85 million to elect pro-union Democrats to the Senate.

The payback? Taking from workers the right to a secret ballot.

A bailout for union bosses. Payback for their support.

Call Senators Dorgan and Conrad.

Tell them to say "no" to the union boss bailout

Americans for Job Security is responsible for the content of this advertising.

In a point-by-point rebuttal the union provides its facts in response to the group's claims

They're the union the Washington Post connects to the Governor discussing the payoff.

• This is a misleading claim. Neither in The Washington Post or official legal documents is there any allegation about a payoff being discussed between Blagojevich and SEIU.
• Nowhere has it been suggested that an SEIU official offered to help "sell" a Senate seat

The union bosses spent $85 million to elect pro-union Democrats to the Senate.           

• The ad cites a Washington Post article "Labor Leaders Stress Unions' Importance for Obama" (8/29/08). But the article explains that SEIU spent $85 million on the entire election cycle. The article does not specify how the $85 million was used.
• SEIU members support pro-working family candidates through voluntary contributions, many as small as $3 a month.

The payback? Taking from workers the right to a secret ballot.

• The Employee Free Choice Act does not eliminate a worker's right to a secret ballot. The law simply gives workers, not corporations, the freedom to choose how to form a union. Workers can choose to have a secret ballot election if they want one. (http://www.americanrightsatwork.org/employee-free-choice-act/resource-library/lies--distortion-on-the-secret-ballot-20080730-596-84-84.html)
• Today, when a majority of workers sign cards saying they want to form a union, the employer can refuse to abide by this majority decision and call for an election that delays the process for months. During that time, managers and supervisors often fire, threaten, and intimidate employees who support forming a union. By the time an election is held, many workers are too scared of management retaliation to cast their vote freely. 51% of employers illegally threaten to close down a worksite when employees try to join together to form a union. 30% unlawfully fire workers who support forming a union as a way of intimidating others. 91% force employees to attend intimidating one-on-one meetings with their supervisors. In the current company-dominated system, workers who ask for a union election don't get a chance to vote in four out of 10 cases. And even when workers win an election, after two years only 20% are able to secure a contract. (http://www.americanrightsatwork.org/employee-free-choice-act/resource-library/lies--distortion-on-the-secret-ballot-20080730-596-84-84.html) (http://www.americanrightsatwork.org/publications/statistics/91.html)

A bailout for union bosses. Payback for their support.          

• This election was about electing a president who will fix our economy and rebuild it stronger, and fairer, for the future -- an economy where hard work means you can make a good living and fulfill your dreams instead of treading water or falling behind. Today CEOs take home 344 times more than workers on average. President-elect Obama has been very clear in his support for creating an economy that works for everyone, not just a few at the top.
• The Employee Free Choice Act provides a non-governmental solution that is needed to restore the middle class and stop the growing gap between the wealthy and the rest of us.
• The Employee Free Choice Act has long been supported by President-elect Obama, Vice-President-elect Biden and a bipartisan majority in Congress. (www.govtrack.us)
• More than half of all workers say they would join a union tomorrow if they could and 60 percent of Americans support Employee Free Choice. (www.americanrightsatwork.org)

The battle over passage of the EFCA is expected to take on all the intensity of a political campaign as both sides attempt to frame the message and impact media coverage. The bill did not have enough support in the previous Congress to pass over President Bush's expected veto. It is expected to be an early sign that the Obama Administration intends to govern as it campaigned as a supporter of workers.