Now You’re a Racist if you Don’t Support Unions?


Union shill Ron Gettelfinger wants you to know that if you don’t support unions you are a racist. That’s right. If you don’t want the undemocratic card check bill to pass Congress you are exactly like the negro hanging, civil rights denying, Jim Crow enforcers of the 1950s.

In one of the most disgusting examples of moral equivalence I’ve seen for a long time — at least one not appearing on such low-born sites such as the DailyKos or Huffington Post — Gettelfinger committed the anti-intellectual outrage of positing that hanging black men in the 1950′s is “just like” voting against a bill that would take away the right of prospective union members to be allowed to vote their conscience in secret as all votes in a democracy are traditionally cast.

Gettelfinger equated the efforts of the civil rights movement to give blacks equal rights to that of support for a bill that takes away people’s rights. This is an outrage against the many thousands that died in the civil rights struggle. It cheapens the fight to end generations of racial oppression and makes a war in which hundreds of thousands of Americans died no different than a mere labor bill in Congress.

Imagine the audacity of this cretinous effort to diminish the struggle for black rights in this country all in an effort to pass the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), a mere labor bill!

Gettelfinger should be ashamed of himself for this reprehensible editorial and the Detroit News should be censured by all clear thinking people for publishing it.

This simple labor bill does not give people that were previously oppressed any rights. This bill does not free anyone from servitude. This bill is not meant to stop hangings, beatings, or efforts to keep people from an education. All this bill does is give unions the power to more easily intimidate possible members into joining their organizations. This bill takes away more rights than it gives.

There are several lies in Gettelfinger’s abhorrent piece. He says, for instance, that the evil racist, black-hanging Democrats are now Republicans but otherwise have not changed. Of course, if this were true, one should expect that Republicans would be hosting neck-tie parties still today. Yet, since the Democratic Party lost the south that seems not to be the case. If today’s Republicans are “just like” the racists of yesterday, they sure don’t act like their elders!

But his last few lines are also egregious where it concerns the lies he is trying to peddle about the EFCA.

Illegal retaliation against workers who try to organize is a serious problem, and the issue deserves a full debate in Congress. But all debates must end. When it’s time to call the question, our elected officials should respect a fundamental principle of democracy: majority rule.

This bill does nothing to stop ” Illegal retaliation against workers.” In fact, it assures that unions may retaliate against any worker that does not want their particular brand of “representation.” If this bill passes, employees will not have the democratic cover of their vote being a private one. Employees will be forced to vote out in the open so that everyone involved knows how they voted. This leaves employees open to union thugs “encouraging” them to change their vote.

In fact, it also leaves that same employee open for harassment by the company, too. After all, everyone will know if they voted yes or no!

So, this bill ensures “illegal retaliation” and does not in any way prevent it. Gettelfinger is an outright liar to claim otherwise and he knows it. Otherwise, why would he have to go to these absurdist lengths to scare people into agreeing with him? I mean, let’s get serious here. Voting against the EFCA has nothing at all to do with racism.

And, lastly, it is hypocritical of Gettelfinger to pretend he’s interested in anything “democratic” as he did when he invoked “majority rule.” Gettelfinger is not interested in the rules of democracy if he wants to eliminate the secret vote, one of the oldest parts of the democratic process, with card check.

With the lies we see in Gettelfinger’s piece, we can be more sure than ever that neither insuring democracy, nor the rights of the worker is Gettelfinger’s goal here.

He really should be ashamed of himself for this garbage. But, union thugs are like that, aren’t they?


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19 Comments Leave a comment

Racism is the new McCarthyism

NickDeringer (Diary) Tuesday, February 10th at 6:33AM EST (link)

It’s not surprising that this would be the stick the libs beat their opponents over the head with.

Very predictable…

 

Well then I am a working "racist" and the unions....

JadedByPolitics (Diary) Tuesday, February 10th at 6:34AM EST (link)

have not made my work fail NOW THAT IS RACIST!!

 

I'm giving Gettelfinger the finger - nt

SG_Lominac (Diary) Tuesday, February 10th at 6:51AM EST (link)

From the movie “Hard Times”

Jill Ireland: “What does it feel like to knock somebody down?”
Charles Bronson: “It makes me feel a hell of a lot better than it does him.”

Nasty

Warner Todd Huston (Diary) Tuesday, February 10th at 6:54AM EST (link)

It’s just nasty to give Gettelfinger the mittelfinger.

LOL

———-
Be sure and Visit my Home blog Publius’ Forum. It’s what’s happening NOW!

 

Kettlefingers Cites Racism as Reason To Expand Pot...

6eorge Jetson (Diary) Tuesday, February 10th at 8:07AM EST (link)

’cause, you know,

Illegal retaliation against workers who try to organize is a serious problem

Sincerely,

Jimmy Hoffa

 
 

The more I think about this Card Check nonsense, the more enraged I become.

Kenny Solomon (Diary) Tuesday, February 10th at 7:31AM EST (link)

When/if this Fascist propsal becomes law, the term for people who don’t want unions won’t be ‘racist’, the terms will be ‘unemployed’ and ‘unemployable’.

Personally, here’s my deal: To all union organizers…. I’ll be nice twice. “I may be in the tech-construction field, but no thank you, I do not wish to be part of your union no matter which one it is. If need be, I’ll revert back to my one-person company in music business consulting.”

That’s the first time. One to go. After that, things may get ‘a bit different’. Come to my home and all bets are off.

Cheers !

There is another option

CarlSchurz (Diary) Tuesday, February 10th at 8:35AM EST (link)

Instead, form your own union. Don’t join one of the big Unions. If they try to unionize Japanese manufacturing plants here in the US, I suggest those plants form their own Autoworkers Union.

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things: the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth a war, is much worse. A man who has nothing which he is willing to fight for, nothing which he cares more about than he does about his personal safety, is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.

 
 

Unions in our country are an outdated, 20th

Old_Crow (Diary) Tuesday, February 10th at 7:40AM EST (link)

Century concept. There was a need for them in the early 1900′s when workers were abused and taken advantage of. Now, it is the unions that are taking advantage of and abusing the taxpayers, holding companies hostage, and destroying our economy by forcing unrealistic wages and benefits on market that cannot support them. Unions should not be allowed or tolerated in the government sector (federal, state, and local). Local union ‘thugs’ (and yes, I include teachers and police unions when I use the word thug) need to be exposed, protested, and litigated against for every possible transgression.

“Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm.” — James Madison

Can someone explain this?

JDidSaint Tuesday, February 10th at 1:05PM EST (link)

I completely agree with you Old_Crow and don’t understand why we still have unions in this country. The only use of unions that I see is that they are a way of becoming very strong politically without much effort. By binding together a group (any group could be bound the same way, really,) you get money for lobbyists and the ability to exert an enormous amount of pressure on company leadership.

How can businesses (especially private businesses) counter this power? Do they need to form another power, like a super-rotary club or something that lobbies for businesses and shuts down business when workers begin to get greedy? What can normal everyday folks do to compete with and encourage nonunion business?

“I’d rather go through the pain of the re-emergence of free markets than endure the long suffering of a socialist state. One is natural and comes from that spark of human desire; the other is imposed and smothers the flame of ingenuity.”-Crowe (from RedState!)

Sorry...

JDidSaint Tuesday, February 10th at 1:09PM EST (link)

I get thinking sometimes that we actually have a free market free of influence by the politicos. I understand why unions exist, but my questions stand.

“I’d rather go through the pain of the re-emergence of free markets than endure the long suffering of a socialist state. One is natural and comes from that spark of human desire; the other is imposed and smothers the flame of ingenuity.”-Crowe (from RedState!)

 
 
 

this is exactly what we...

Darvin_Dowdy (Diary) Tuesday, February 10th at 8:19AM EST (link)

…should expect. Honestly we should be glad that they’re exposing their true inner selves. All the more reason why the GOP must get its dyfunctional house in order and win back either the House, the Senate or both in 2010. We can’t endure 4 years of this nonsense. It must be stopped or slowed drastically in 2010. DD

 

Racist?

mikefisk (Diary) Tuesday, February 10th at 8:29AM EST (link)

Thought it was the unions themselves who were historically the racists…. need I really say more than the Davis-Bacon Act?

“Once within the maw of Leviathan, degree of digestion is irrelevant.” – Michael Fisk

9.25, -4.77

The public is largely ignorant of the cost of Davis-Bacon

Old_Crow (Diary) Tuesday, February 10th at 8:43AM EST (link)

wages on the local economy. For example, a local school construction project here in NY was prices at $11M using Davis-Bacon wage rates. The true cost using local construction companies was $7M (which included 11% overhead plus 18% profit). The taxpayers bear these increased costs and bond debt. Local small businesses loose out. We have got to make this part of our message. Municipal unions are driving this county bankrupt – just like they did to the auto makers.

“Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm.” — James Madison

If you don't like D-B, try Project Labor Agreements,

Achance (Diary) Tuesday, February 10th at 8:53AM EST (link)

which The One just made OK on federal contracts again with a right off the bat EO. So, a state or local government wants to build something and their delegation gets an appropriation for it. But it needs state and local funding and permitting. The building trades council gets together with its greenie friends and opposes the project on whatever grounds sound good. The the negotiations begin. In exchange for making the whole job union up front, something you can do in the construction industry, paying D-B or better wages, and putting in some bleeding edge “environmental measures” at great cost and hiring a few greenies to monitor your compliance with environmental provisions, they let your project get funded and approved. In a union state, that’s how it works on EVERY project.

In Vino Veritas

You are correct, at least that's how it works here

Old_Crow (Diary) Tuesday, February 10th at 9:46AM EST (link)

in New York. Again, the public is largely ignorant of both the costs and inefficiencies.

“Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm.” — James Madison

 
 
 
 

It DOES attach civil penalties for illegal retaliation.

Achance (Diary) Tuesday, February 10th at 8:38AM EST (link)

This has long been a union gripe; retaliation against an employee for a protected activity, e.g. being an inside organizer, has been an unfair labor practice since the National Labor Relations Act was passed in 1935. However, the only remedy was re-instatement or reduced penalty such as remove a suspension from the employee’s record and a cease and desist order against the employer and its agents and you have to put up a sign that says you committed an unfair labor practice. Frankly, that is a pretty small price to pay to get rid of a PITA employee or two. There were several times in my career that I decided that whatever it was that the Employer wanted to do was worth doing and if putting up a sign was the price of doing it, we’d pay it.

The big problem is first the NLRB adjudication process is stacked against employers, especially small employers and after a couple years of a Democrat administration will be quite pro-labor. By a Democrat’s second term, the NLRB will just be an extension of organized labor and the only remedy for an employer is to take the Board’s decision to the federal courts, a long and expensive process and most employers can’t afford it and will just cop to it or settle out. This is the way bad administrative law gets made; the administrative agency has the power and money of the government and can defend a bad decision vociferously. Second, most employees who become union activists are already performance or discipline problems. As soon as a union shows up, it is your malcontents and discipline problems who go like moths to a flame and become the union’s internal organizers. So, Joe Blow has a stack of interest cards in his pocket and spends lunchtime harranguing his fellow employees about signing cards. In his enthusiasm he returns from lunch 15 minutes late, something he has previously been disciplined for and is on a “last chance” notice regarding his tardiness. Pursuant to the written notice that he will be fired if he is ever late again, Joe is fired. Joe and the union file an unfair labor practice complaint against the company alleging retaliation for Joe’s lunchtime organizing. The controlling authority is an NLRB decision called Wright Line which sets up a balancing test to determine “but for” the protected activity, what would the employer have done? In this case, the ULP should be dismissed and Joe should stay fired under Wright Line unless the union can prove something like lots of people were late and the Employer ignored it but was giving special scrutiny to Joe because of his union activity. Lots of cases like this are lost by employers because some stupid manager does just that; tells the supervisor to keep a close eye on the organizer and not to let him get away with anything. Unfortunately, somebody heard him say it an testifies to same in the ULP hearing. The more likely result after card check passes will be some young, just out of college or just out a a stint as a union or community organizer lawyer who is now a NLRB investigator, ’cause they’ll be hiring lots of them, will think it just isn’t fair to fire somebody for being late and will conclude that Joe really was fired for his organizing activity. Now the Employer has to appeal to the Board, which as I said above, after a year or two of a Democrat is going to be very union friendly. The Board will ignore the law and maybe even make new law giving even broader protections to employees engaging in activities protected by the Act. And the only thing the Employer can do is try to get the federal courts to reverse the Board. The Courts have not been reticent to reverse the NLRB over the years, some courts more than others and some Boards more than others, but I suspect that we’ll very quickly have a very union friendly federal bench so all employers had better hope for some SCOTUS justices good health.

In Vino Veritas

 

Sure

10ksnooker (Diary) Tuesday, February 10th at 8:44AM EST (link)

The KKK, Jim Crow laws, lynchings, segregation, those were all Democrat institutions. Of course, you knew that right? The Democrats started the KKK in about 1870 to keep the blacks down on the farm, and when they wouldn’t stay there, that’s what the lynchings were all about. The Jim Crow laws were just the way the Democrats enforced their discrimination.

Republicans were the party of Lincoln, remember him? Freed the slaves, or something like that.

Another fact is Democrats didn’t want blacks owning guns, so they restricted their ownerships to non whites. That’s where the 14th amendment came from, called “incorporation”, it forced incorporation of the entire Bill of Rights on the all the States.

So technically, the racists party is just proposing more discrimination, er uhh, ahhh in the name of racism.

 

Dems have no logicial arguments

red4ever (Diary) Tuesday, February 10th at 11:10AM EST (link)

That is why they name call so much. If there were really good reasons for supporting ANYTHING they do, they would present them. Since they lack such reasons, they just name call and threaten to get their way.

The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.
Dante

 

I think you mean the worst case of moral equivocation -nt

DONTREADONME (Diary) Tuesday, February 10th at 8:28PM EST (link)