Specter Switches to Democratic Party

Arlen Specter says he has been a Republican since 1966 and now shares the following press release, "I have decided to run for re-election in 2010 in the Democratic primary." Not since Tony Almeda on "24" do I feel so dirty and betrayed.

Specter says that, "he deeply regrets disappointing many friends and supporters and that he understands their disappointment." Well, any day now, the handful of them will be filing paperwork for him to return the campaign contributions they contributed to elect the Republican Specter in 2010.

This is one odd way to announce a retirement I tell you, because there is not a snowball's chance in hell of either side wanting him now.

Specter does mention the EFCA in the release, stating that, "I will not be an automatic 60th vote for cloture. For example, my position on Employee Free Choice (Card Check) will not change."

Sure, you can take him at his word, after all he's been a Republican since '66' and "poof" now he's a Democrat, what's not to trust.

Scully: "I think it's bile."

Mulder: "Is there any way I can get it off my fingers quickly without betraying my cool exterior?"

The answer is no, Mr. Specter.

and the NLRB Nominees are

The Detroit Free Press announced that President Obama has nominated two Democratic union advocates to 5-year terms on the National Labor Relations Board. And the NLRB nominees are: Craig Becker and Mark Pearce.

Craig Becker is currently the Associate General Counsel to the SEIU and the AFL-CIO.

Mark Pearce is a founding partner of Buffalo, NY law firm, Creighton, Pearce, Johnsen & Giroux. They represent the union side of labor and law employment.

The board has five members and primarily acts as a quasi-judicial body in deciding cases on the basis of formal records in administrative proceedings. Board members are appointed by the President to 5-year terms, with Senate consent, the term of one Member expiring each year. There are 3 vacancies for Obama to fill.

The current Members are Chairman Wilma B. Liebman (designated by Obama to serve as Chairman on January 20, 2009, her 3rd term that expires on August 27, 2011) and Peter Carey Schaumber (former Chairman, his 2nd term that expires on August 27, 2010).

Never a dull minute in Congress, Senate your move...

Union Indictments? What Union Indictments?

"Labor Department figures show that investigations of union fraud from 2001-2008 resulted in more than 1,000 indictments, with 929 convictions and court-ordered restitution of more than $93 million." --The Associated Press

1,000 indictments, with 92.9% convicted of wrong-doing. Now, why would the Obama administration want to rescind a regulation approved (January, 2009) during President Bush's last days in office that would have increased scrutiny of union finances to help root out financial corruption? Because the unions say that the new rule is "overly burdensome" and "would have little effect" on efforts to detect fraud.

"From our perspective, the only interest served by this rule was to harass unions," said AFL-CIO attorney James Coppess. Well, Mr. Coppess, it seems that when the unions have to report all income and expenses on their LM2's to the DOL's Office of Labor-Management Standards, the agency's criminal enforcement program uses that information to investigate embezzlement and other types of union fraud. The rule is serving the interest of union members. And with a 92.9% conviction rate, they seem rather good at protecting members and catching the right union crooks.

Why are unions really against the new rule? Well, it would have required unions to disclose even more information about compensation of union officers and employees, details about buying and selling union assets and additional information about union receipts. You'd thinks the guys that create Executive PayWatch would be all about transparency, but apparently not. Makes you wonder what it is they're hiding...

Bottom line, look for another pro-labor action from Obama's office, designed to a pay back the unions for buying him into office, as the current reporting rule will most likely be eliminated completely. This will be unfortunate, because as Senator Mike Enzi, top Republican on the Senate Health, Education and Labor Committee stated, "this rule might prevent union members from becoming the victims of fraud."

Fat Lady Sings EFCA? Not so fast...

There will be no singing because there is no fat lady. Anyone out there that thinks the Employee Free Choice Act is going away and that unions will crawl back under the rocks they came from hasn't been fighting unions for the last 30 years. Projections has been in the labor business since 1979 and I have been around since 1995, so I've heard it all and seen it all and will bet your future dues money that the battle with the EFCA is not over. Even now, there are rumors of a proposed "dual purpose" card to give workers a choice: choose to have secret ballot election or choose not to have any election and the employees might have the option to mail the card in (to whom I'm not sure... the union? the NLRB?)

All of this hoopla over EFCA in the past 18 months has been a wake-up call for so many companies in the U.S. Many are now coping with a paradigm shift (if you will) over how they communicate their union free position to their employees. No more "head in sand" or not saying the "u-word". In my opinion, it's a good thing: stop pretending that if you don't tell the kids about sex, they won't have it. The truth is always more effective. Good effective communication is never bad. Now, with this rumor of a "dual purpose card, I can assure you, unions are going to keep trying to organize your employees. There are millions -if not billions- of dollars at stake for them and the employees will continue to be the primary source of income. Nothing is going to change this fact.

I urge you to take advantage of this political and union confusion without delay and develop a communications strategy that keeps you in the driver's seat. Union business-as-usual is not something that you should be unprepared for. Pull your key people together, speak with your labor attorney and talk with communication experts who have been around the block a few times in rolling out the best labor relations strategy in the most effective manner.

1-888-NO-UNION.COM

Two new websites were launched this week to inform and engage America's employees.

"LaborUnionReport.com" and "1-888-NO-UNION.COM", a 24/7 resource for America's Union-Free Workplace containing a ton of information for employers AND employees who wish to remain OR become union-free.

According the site's creators, "We are going directly to America's workers and launching a nationwide campaign to educate and inform workers about today's union bosses, their tactics, and their agenda to strip America of Liberty and Democracy."