Republicans pursue failed strategy attacking Dems on Employee Free Choice

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is planning on going after Sens. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Michael Bennet (D-CO), according to a Roll Call article today. Yet the NRSC seems to have already forgotten the lessons of the 2008 campaigns, in which groups spent millions attacking Democrats on Employee Free Choice only to see those candidates go on to win--with voters approving Employee Free Choice by a considerable margin.

"We thought elephants never forgot, but Republicans have clearly forgotten the lessons of the 2008 elections: attacking Democrats on Employee Free Choice simply doesn't work," said SEIU Political Director Jon Youngdahl. "The fact is, voters see through these misinformation campaigns by wealthy corporate lobbyists. Working families know that when it comes to protecting their jobs and giving them a voice in the workplace, greedy CEOs just aren't on their side."

In 2008, Opponents Spent Millions Attacking Democratic Candidates, But the Democrats Still Won and the Voters Still Supported EFCA

In 2008, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and front groups like Americans for Job Security, the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace and the Employee Freedom Action Fund spent upwards of $20 million to defeat the Employee Free Choice Act. This includes more than $6.3 million on TV ads specifically targeting Democratic Senate candidates on the issue in battleground states.

These attacks were completely ineffective. Not only were six of the targeted Democratic candidates elected, but research shows that a majority of voters in these battleground states supported the Employee Free Choice Act by wide margins even after the millions spent by the bill's opponents. A Hart Research survey conducted in November in seven Senate battleground states where anti-Employee Free Choice ads ran found that voters supported the Employee Free Choice Act by a 27-point margin.

Senator Ben Nelson (NE) issued a clear statement aimed at secretly-funded advertisements running in Nebraska that attack the Employee Free Choice Act.

Nelson called the ads:

"Sleazy and intentionally confusing" ... "Unfair" ... "Demeaning and misleading" ... "Smear tactics that insult me and my fellow Nebraskans."

Local 226 President, Suzy Anderson, in Omaha, Nebraska commented,

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.

"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."

SEIU calls on "Americans for Job Security" to engage in an honest conversation with Nebraskans about their positions rather than trying to mislead Nebraskans.

Bullying Senator Nelson or other Members of Congress simply won't work, which the Senator made clear in his statement about the ads:

"These folks shot themselves in the foot. While aiming."

For more information:

• Read Senator Nelson's full statement.
• SEIU dismantled the ads as "out of touch" distractions and lists the myths of the ad.

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."