THE FACTS
The latest ad from Americans for Job Security, a corporate front group that has already spent millions to deny workers a voice on the job, attempts to mislead the public about the Employee Free Choice Act and the 2 million members of SEIU.
At a time when most Americans are concerned about putting food on the table, keeping their jobs, paying for healthcare, and paying for their children's education, Americans for Job Security and their anonymous corporate donors continue to stand in the way of real solutions for our economy.
Their misleading campaign based on fear and false facts did not work during the election and it will not stop President-elect Obama and the new Congress from enacting the change that allows workers to share in the prosperity of their companies.
With CEOs making 344 times the average worker and winning huge bailouts from taxpayers, they will say anything to stop workers from being able to share in the prosperity workers help create.
"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."
Corporate America has shown just how out of touch they are with America's economic problems. They believe that the problem with our economy is that workers are paid too much and that their wages should be cut. For working families already struggling to make ends meet, that's the last thing they should have to worry about.
: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."
| Claim | The Facts |
| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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)
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| 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)
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