GogglesPisano
Pawn, in game of life
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Fears Of A Union Renaissance
Brian Wingfield, 06.05.08, 7:00 PM ET
Washington, D.C. - Who's afraid of a little organized labor? U.S. business, that's who.
Union membership encompasses just 7.5% of the private sector, but the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is fearful of a potential resurgence in the United States. Now the group, which represents business interests, is opposing a laundry list of bills fluttering about Capitol Hill, which the chamber says would make it easier to organize a union, expand worker benefits at the expense of employers and lift the caps on punitive damages sought by employees in lawsuits.
"What's going on on Capitol Hill right now is nothing less than a radical rewrite of our nation's unemployment laws," says Randel Johnson, the chamber's vice president for labor, immigration and employee benefits. As a result, the group is about to revamp its lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill and in states like Colorado and Minnesota--which will host the presidential nominating conventions later this year--to turn the tides on union expansion.
But forget 2008. "We're very concerned about the next four years," Johnson says. The prospect of Democrats controlling Congress and the White House is unsettling for foes of labor expansion. Even before Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., sealed his party's nomination for president this week, he'd already scooped up endorsements from big unions like the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the United Steelworkers Union and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
Labor issues do seem to be front and center this election season. Obama said he would consider renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement to keep more American jobs from being outsourced. Democrats in Congress have been firm about ensuring that labor clauses are part of international trade agreements, some of which are still pending. Labor disputes last week were part of what derailed merger discussions between UAL (nasdaq: UAUA - news - people ) and US Airways Group (nyse: LCC - news - people ). SEIU has waged a highly public campaign to close tax loopholes on so-called "buyout billionaires,"--private equity and hedge fund managers.
Teamsters spokesman Galen Munroe says, "It's pretty much accepted that Americans want change after the Bush administration," adding that the Employee Free Choice Act, designed to make it easier for workers to choose a union, would help strengthen the middle class. The measure didn't make it out of the Senate last year, but Obama has vowed to revive it if elected.
That's exactly what the chamber and the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace, an alliance of local chambers of commerce and other business associations, fear. The groups say that because the bill would do away with the secret ballot voting that allows employees to choose a union, it would pressure individual workers to sign on. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, opposes the bill.
Even if Democrats sweep Congress and the White House in November, the chamber and other business groups appear to have an ally in the Supreme Court. In several cases last year, the court ruled in favor of business interests, including a decision that limits frivolous lawsuits against employers.
As early as next week, the court could rule whether a federal labor law pre-empts California's prohibition against employers using state money to deter union organizing campaigns. With many winds in Washington blowing in Big Labor's favor, business groups are hoping the justices come out on their side once again.
--Additional reporting by Lea Erculiani.
Brian Wingfield, 06.05.08, 7:00 PM ET
Washington, D.C. - Who's afraid of a little organized labor? U.S. business, that's who.
Union membership encompasses just 7.5% of the private sector, but the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is fearful of a potential resurgence in the United States. Now the group, which represents business interests, is opposing a laundry list of bills fluttering about Capitol Hill, which the chamber says would make it easier to organize a union, expand worker benefits at the expense of employers and lift the caps on punitive damages sought by employees in lawsuits.
"What's going on on Capitol Hill right now is nothing less than a radical rewrite of our nation's unemployment laws," says Randel Johnson, the chamber's vice president for labor, immigration and employee benefits. As a result, the group is about to revamp its lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill and in states like Colorado and Minnesota--which will host the presidential nominating conventions later this year--to turn the tides on union expansion.
But forget 2008. "We're very concerned about the next four years," Johnson says. The prospect of Democrats controlling Congress and the White House is unsettling for foes of labor expansion. Even before Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., sealed his party's nomination for president this week, he'd already scooped up endorsements from big unions like the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the United Steelworkers Union and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
Labor issues do seem to be front and center this election season. Obama said he would consider renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement to keep more American jobs from being outsourced. Democrats in Congress have been firm about ensuring that labor clauses are part of international trade agreements, some of which are still pending. Labor disputes last week were part of what derailed merger discussions between UAL (nasdaq: UAUA - news - people ) and US Airways Group (nyse: LCC - news - people ). SEIU has waged a highly public campaign to close tax loopholes on so-called "buyout billionaires,"--private equity and hedge fund managers.
Teamsters spokesman Galen Munroe says, "It's pretty much accepted that Americans want change after the Bush administration," adding that the Employee Free Choice Act, designed to make it easier for workers to choose a union, would help strengthen the middle class. The measure didn't make it out of the Senate last year, but Obama has vowed to revive it if elected.
That's exactly what the chamber and the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace, an alliance of local chambers of commerce and other business associations, fear. The groups say that because the bill would do away with the secret ballot voting that allows employees to choose a union, it would pressure individual workers to sign on. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, opposes the bill.
Even if Democrats sweep Congress and the White House in November, the chamber and other business groups appear to have an ally in the Supreme Court. In several cases last year, the court ruled in favor of business interests, including a decision that limits frivolous lawsuits against employers.
As early as next week, the court could rule whether a federal labor law pre-empts California's prohibition against employers using state money to deter union organizing campaigns. With many winds in Washington blowing in Big Labor's favor, business groups are hoping the justices come out on their side once again.
--Additional reporting by Lea Erculiani.
