A pro-business group launched in Kentucky on Thursday aims to make "card check" legislation an issue in the congressional elections this fall.
The Coalition to Protect Kentucky Jobs is a project of the Workforce Fairness Institute, which is backed by unspecified business owners. The Kentucky effort is supported by the Associated Builders and Contractors of Kentuckiana, the American Small Business Partnership, the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and the Kentucky Association of Manufacturers.
It's about the Employee Free Choice Act, which would allow workers at a non-union employer to simply sign up if they want union representation rather than by secret ballot. The bill has fallen short of bipartisan support in recent Congresses.
"This legislation would take away the secret ballot and it would essentially put a union boss, a big labor boss looking over your shoulder as you try to make the decision about whether you want to be in a union," said the Coalition's state director, Scott Jennings, a Republican strategist and former George W. Bush White House aide. Jennings also is one of WHAS11's unpaid political analysts for election coverage.
"It's extremely important," said Kentucky AFL-CIO President, Bill Londrigan, "especially in this economy because unions raise wages for working people. People who are in unions are 50% more likely to have health insurance, three times as likely to have pensions and retirement plans. Their wages on average are 30% higher than those that are non union."
Londrigan, says he learned of the new group as it was launched, but is familiar with opposition to "card check," which Londigran refers to as "majority sign-up."
"It simply gives workers an option to choose whether or not they want to continue the method that has been utilitzed, that corporations have used against workers to thwart their efforts or to have the majority sign up method," Londrigan said, "so that is a red herring going in. It's all about them spreading lies and misinformation about an issue that they're against because they don't want workers to have a voice on the job, plain and simple."
Asked if the coalition is simply against anything that would help unions get more members, Jennings focused instead on labor organizing methods.
"I think what we know from economic studies, and noted economists have long said that if you increase the number of union members through these coercion and the kinds of tactics people find unsavory, then it will hurt the economy," Jennings responded, "It will cause unemployment rates to go up. It will cause job loss. It could cause hundreds of thousands of jobs to be lost nationwide."
The Coalition has sent a questionnaire to Kentucky candidates for the U.S. House and Senate, asking them to "state their positions on workplace issues, including the Employee 'Forced' Choice Act. CPKJ will publicize those responses along with other public statements so that citizens are informed about candidate positions," a news release explained.
"We believe the people of Kentucky deserve to know where the people who are vying for political office stand on this key issue," Jennings said.
"This is about CEO's," Londigran countered, "This is about corporate greed. it's about them trying to stay in control and to use this issue as a wedge issue in the campaign."
Both the the Coalition and the AFL-CIO plan to push the issue in the U.S. Senate contest between Republican Rand Paul and Democrat Jack Conway.
"Absolutely," Londrigran continued, "Jack Conway supports Employee Free Choice Act and so does (Congressman) John Yarmuth here in Louisville and we applaud them for their stance on that issue and we're going to stand behind them."
Yet, the Conway campaign was less direct about Conway's position in a statement released Thursday afternoon.
"Jack has a strong record of standing up for Kentucky families while Rand Paul is feverishly defending big corporations. Paul’s cozy relationship with big business is made further apparent by the support he is getting from this fictitious front group for corporations, which is ironically led by scandal-plagued, DC insider Scott Jennings."
Told of the Conway campaign's statement, Jennings reiterated that the Coalition is non-partisan and does not endorse, support or oppose any candidate. Instead, Jennings descibed the group's aim as a "public education effort which looks forward to finding out where Jack Conway and all candidates stand on this job killing legislation."
Asked to explain the "scandal-plagued" reference in the statement, a Conway campaign spokesperson later provided links to news accounts of the dismissal of U.S. Attorneys during the Bush administration. Though Jennings, a former assistant to top Bush political strategist Karl Rove, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the controversy, he never appeared to be a target of nor was ever implicated in either the congressional or Justice Department investigations.
Meanwhile, Rand Paul Campaign Chairman David Adams was unequivocal expressing Paul's support of "card check."
"Rand Paul supports the Coalition to Protect Kentucky Jobs' efforts and will vigorously oppose Obama and Jack Conway's attempts to kill jobs in Kentucky."
The Coalition has given the candidates a June 15 deadline to return the questionnaire, then plans on publicizing the responses during the fall campaign.
"They'll be outspending organized labor, us big union bosses as they call us, 15 to 20-1, with their millions and billions of dollars of corporate campaign cash that they are going to funnel through these front groups that we call astroturf groups," said Londigran.
News Release
The Coalition to Protect Kentucky Jobs (CPKJ) launched today its statewide coalition with a clear mission - protect Kentucky jobs from harmful policies under consideration in Washington D.C. CPKJ will stand up for small businesses and workers in the Commonwealth who grow the economy, and will work to educate voters about where political candidates stand on key issues. First and foremost, CPKJ will inform voters about the Employee 'Forced' Choice Act (EFCA). CPKJ believes EFCA would devastate Kentucky employees and small business owners already struggling to survive in a tough economy.
CPKJ is committed to informing citizens about issues affecting the workplace, particularly those which would result in job loss and undue burdens. EFCA is the number one priority for national labor unions and it has been introduced in four straight sessions of Congress. American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) President Richard Trumka said recently that if Big Labor can't pass EFCA on its own they will succeed in appending it to another piece of legislation.
"The Coalition to Protect Kentucky Jobs will stand up for the rights of small business owners and workers, and it will ensure that the public understands how damaging the Employee 'Forced' Choice Act would be to our freedoms and overall economy," said Scott Jennings, state director of the Coalition to Protect Kentucky Jobs (CPKJ).
Upon its launch, CPKJ enjoys support from business owners and organizations across the state, including the Associated Builders and Contractors of Kentuckiana.
"ABC applauds the efforts of the Coalition to Protect Kentucky Jobs to expose the dangers of the job-killing Employee 'Forced' Choice Act and other damaging special interest legislation that threatens a small business owner's ability to grow and create jobs," said Billy Parson, President of ABC Kentuckiana. "Private companies and their workforce deserve the right to self determine their operational needs, not by mandates through government interference."
Hollis Smith, Chairman of the American Small Business Partnership, says "it is imperative that Kentuckians know how detrimental EFCA could be to our state's economy. I fully support these efforts to educate people about this terribly misguided legislation and about where individual political candidates stand. Now more than ever the federal government must not enact policies that stifle economic growth."
Other supporters of the CPKJ include the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and the Kentucky Association of Manufacturers. These and other organizations support CPKJ's mission of educating the public about the dangers posed to Kentucky's economy by the job-killing EFCA.
Individual business owners certainly understand the risk EFCA poses to Kentucky's economy.
"EFCA will cost Kentucky jobs, make no mistake about it," said Janey Moores, a Lexington small business owner. "I support this effort to educate voters about the dangers of this bill and where political candidates stand on the issue. It is vital that we do all we can to prevent Congress from enacting a fundamentally un-American legislation."
Jennings said the CPKJ will "work to obtain the positions of all candidates seeking federal office in Kentucky with regard to the job-killing Employee 'Forced' Choice Act and engage in a dialogue with Kentucky voters on this important issue."
The Coalition to Protect Kentucky Jobs (CPKJ) will ask candidates for U.S. Senate and U.S. House via questionnaire to state their positions on workplace issues, including the Employee 'Forced' Choice Act. CPKJ will publicize those responses along with other public statements so that citizens are informed about candidate positions.
