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The Employee Free Choice act was a hot topic on the Colorado airwaves again yesterday, with local radio talk show host Craig Silverman of 630 KHOW’s Caplis and Silverman Show interviewing the two candidates for Colorado’s open US Senate seat. 

Silverman first interviewed former Congressman Bob Schaffer.  On the subject of labor unions, Schaffer first says that labor unions are an important part of our country’s workforce, and legitimate institutions.  He takes a stand, however, against any type of coercion, intimidation, or other underhanded practices by labor unions and their representatives.  He also stands firmly against the “card check” method of unioniztion and the removal of private ballots from the union organization process, and makes it clear that he would not support the Employee Free Choice Act.   

Click to Hear Bob Schaffer Discuss Unions

Silverman then brought in Congressman Mark Udall for the next hour.  Due to the fact the people of Colorado are concerned about this issue, the Employee Free Choice Act  came up again.   Udall laid out a distinctly different plan, supporting the removal of the private ballot from union organization through EFCA. 

Click to Hear Mark Udall Support Removing the Private Ballot 

Despite Silverman’s multiple attempts to get Udall to address the removal of the private ballot from the process, Udall dances around the issue, diverting to other topics including local ballot initiatives, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and insisting the the bill “levels the playing field”.   He claims that EFCA will strengthen the NLRB, but that is patently false, as the NLRB will be removed from the process.  Currently, the NLRB acts as a neutral party between business and labor, conducting the private ballot election that EFCA seeks to remove!

So Mark Udall is willing to “level the playing field” at the expense of workers and their right to a private ballot?  That doesn’t sound like the independent Western spirit that Mark Udall so often claims to possess.  In fact, it sounds like a bad deal for workers in Colorado and all across America!

Coloradans for Employee Freedom were on the streets again, this time at Schaffer/Udall Debate #2.  Along with many supporters of the two candidates, the Waldo-themed protesters were back in the mix, this time rubbing elbows with sign-wavers outside of Fox 31 studios.  They continue to ask “Where’s Udall?” on the Employee Free Choice Act, and point out his deep ties to union interests.   How can Udall support an act that takes away the right of private ballot elections for workers?  How can Udall support this Big Labor power grab, when only 7% of his constituency are actually in unions?  Udall finally arrives and rushes into the building, leaving these questions hanging in the air….  

When it comes to honoring American traditions, Colorado Senate candidate Mark Udall is very selective. In a recent clip targeted toward union organizers, Udall claims that the deceptively-named Employee Free Choice Act is important because it allows workers to “honor the American traditions of collective bargaining and organizing in the workplace.” Sadly, the American tradition of private ballot voting doesn’t make the list.

In the through-the-looking-glass world of Al Franken, taking away the guarantee of a private ballot to Minnesota workers actually gives them MORE privacy.  Huh, you say?

Well, according to funny man Franken, in receiving the endorsement of the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council, by our count the 22nd union to endorse Franken, worker privacy would be strengthened by allowing union organizers to strong arm workers into signing a card rather than maintain their right to a private ballot in which they can vote their consciences.

In his speech, rather than explain how less privacy was actually more privacy, Franken resorted to what he knows best, name calling.  He labeled us a “Norm Coleman front group.” 

This, like his description of EFCA, is obviously false.  Franken and his supporters in the Minnesota DFL party have clearly become a bit unglued by our efforts to tell Minnesotans about EFCA and Franken’s support for it.  But calling us names and filing frivolous legal complaints won’t stop us from telling the truth.  In fact, it will have the opposite effect.

After weeks of avoiding questions regarding her role in co-sponsoring “The Employee Free Choice Act”, Sen. Mary Landrieu finally answered the question: “Do you support a worker’s right to a secret ballot election when unionizing the workplace?” Her answer: she’s for a “fair process”.

One might wonder of Sen. Landrieu’s definition of a “fair process” is taking away an employee’s fundamental right to a private ballot vote. In fact, 58% of Louisianians oppose taking away a private ballot vote when it comes to unionizing the workplace. Even union members agree. Nearly half of Louisiana’s union households oppose changing the way unions are formed.

In her answer she also said that ‘this (EFCA) is a big issue we’re going to debate.’ We can only hope that in the coming months Sen. Landrieu will be open to such a debate and stop ducking questions from concerned citizens.

In Minnesota, we now know that two out of three candidates for the United States Senate oppose EFCA.  Dean Barkley, the Independence Party candidate, joins Republican Norm Coleman in opposing this misguided legislation.

Barkley gives a refreshingly clear and straightforward answer about the issue.

Proponents of the deceptively-named Employee Free Choice Act have finally realized their position is indefensible and are trying a different approach. Rather than engage workers with thoughtful issue-oriented analysis, they are feeding the self-proclaimed “Obama Girl” rote talking points in this clip:

I think I’ll see if I can get Paris Hilton on the record on the pitfalls of EFCA…

This report comes from a volunteer for Granite Staters for Employee Freedom:

Crazy story – today I attended the Rochester NHDP office opening. I stood there quietly with my video camera off and in my pocket, and didn’t say a word throughout the entire event. When things wrapped up, I took out my camera and went towards Representative Carol Shea-Porter. Her staff told me I had to step outside or they’d call the police. Before doing this, they told me I had to turn off my camera or she wouldn’t speak to me, so I did. We stepped outside – the office is their private property and I respect that – and I told the staffer (I think the New Hampshire Democratic Party communications director) that I wanted to ask my representative a question about why she supports card check voting over private ballots. The staffer said, “While I’m around, you will never ask Carol Shea-Porter a question.” I said, “So you’re telling me that I can’t ask my representative a question?” “Never.” She replied.

So again, it seems that the Democrats of New Hampshire are so afraid of discussing their untenable position on the EFCA that they are willing to threaten and coerce their own constituents.