Sanders: Look for the Union Label

I’d meant to note this yesterday, but columnist David Sanders had a nice column looking at Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor’s support for the union-backed “Employee Free Choice Act.” It’s worth checking out.

Sanders notes that the bill is a top goal for union activists and is strongly opposed by the business community, including Arkansas-based Wal-Mart and the Arkansas Chamber of Commerce. All the Democratic members of the Arkansas Congressional delegation support the bill.

Sanders writes:

The so-called “Employee Free Choice Act” is the Democrats’ response to the country’s decreasing union rolls. Union leaders have had a hard time demonstrating their worth to American workers, especially in the face of more manufacturing jobs moving out of the unionized industrialized Midwest, along with the influx of jobs into regions of the country where union membership isn’t mandatory.The “card check” measure is designed to stop declining union roles by making it easier for Labor leaders to add to their numbers – not just in manufacturing, but retail and other service-based sectors….Unfortunately, Pryor either doesn’t care or realize the effect the “card check” could have both on U.S. workers or on the broader economy. Earlier this year when the Arkansas state Chamber of Commerce began lobbying Pryor against the supporting measure, he pooh-poohed its opposition and belittled its leaders by claiming the state chamber was “taking its marching orders from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce” and “exaggerating” the potential effects the measure could have on future job growth.

As for me, I was surprised to learn that labor unions were still around. I had been under the impression that they were one of those last-century things that had kind of faded away and didn’t really serve any useful purpose in today’s world. You know, like horse collars and Oliver Stone.

#laborunions