[StBernard] Urgent Video Briefing From Senator DeMint and Steve Forbes

[Westley Annis]

Mark Mix
President


		“I owe those unions ... When their leaders call, I do my best to call them back right away. I don’t mind feeling obligated.”
		

				-- President Barack Obama
				   “The Audacity of Hope”
				
				

Dear Westley,

The next few days and weeks will be absolutely critical if we are to preserve some core freedoms that the union bosses and Barack Obama are working around the clock to take away from us.

Senator Jim DeMint, Steve Forbes and I prepared an important video so we could rush it to you, a valued supporter of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation.

I know how precious your time is. I would not ask you to interrupt your day for anything short of a real emergency. 

PLEASE -- take just a few moments to watch this important video <http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/3207806:4368074258:m:1:155652665:DA3328B98313A6297F312256333E4A4D>  as soon as you finish my letter.

You’ve likely heard of the “card check” battle now going on in Congress. This is one of those once-in-a-generation battles Right to Work supporters have faced in the past.

Card check organizing eliminates the secret ballot for union organizing elections and replaces it with an abuse-ridden process in which the votes of workers are made public to union organizers.

The threat of passage of card check forced unionism legislation – fraudulently named the “Employee Free Choice Act” – is becoming greater by the day. 

With the recent defection of liberal Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter to the Democrat Party, the union bosses’ card check forced unionism legislation is very much on the table and could well become law at any moment in a potentially filibuster-proof U.S. Senate. (The National Journal reports that Big Labor Democrats are already preparing to tweak the card check bill to ensure Specter’s support.)

Westley, I know how concerned you are about Big Labor’s destructive impact on our nation’s economy and our freedoms.

That’s why I took the extraordinary step of producing this video <http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/3207806:4368074258:m:1:155652665:DA3328B98313A6297F312256333E4A4D>  and rushing it to supporters like you.


	I wanted to be absolutely sure you completely understand what is going on in Washington right now. I wanted to call on some of the leading experts on Big Labor’s true agenda and some of the victims of union abuse to explain what card check forced unionism will mean to millions of non-union workers – and to you and me and every American. 
	

Frankly, at the close of this letter I am going to ask for your help in a significant way to meet this unprecedented emergency. I am going to ask you to help the Foundation with a special donation to help us fund our extremely vital “Card Check Litigation Task Force” and our overall strategic legal counterattack at this critical time.

This new unit is being created to help meet this crisis head on and with greater resources than we have ever before deployed to confront this overwhelming onslaught of forced unionism in 2009 and beyond. (I am also going to tell you about a special opportunity to literally double the impact of your donation. But more about that in a moment.)

Why are the union bosses fighting so hard for card check?

Because associating with a union -- and Big Labor’s job killing, economy crushing agenda -- has never been less popular with American workers. 

The union bosses know that American workers increasingly reject union “representation” when they have a choice. 

The union bosses desperately want new members. They need a massive influx of new dues revenue to pay for their financially troubled pension funds and for their ever-more-costly and ambitious political activities.

But they can’t get these workers into their ranks anymore through the less-abusive secret ballot election. 

The union bosses’ only option is a dramatic expansion of their coercive power. They must force employees into union ranks.

As you will see in the video <http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/3207806:4368074258:m:1:155652665:DA3328B98313A6297F312256333E4A4D> , card check organizing is not a new threat for us here at the Foundation. In fact, with your help, we’ve been warning about and fighting the growing threat of card check abuse for the last six years, and we’ve had success. (This union power grab might have flown completely under the radar if we at the Foundation had not sounded the alarm.) 

But if the union bosses get their card check forced unionism bill – also known as “EFCA” -- they will exercise even more power to coerce millions of additional workers into unions.

EFCA will put a greater force of federal law behind their efforts ... but they don’t need this law to escalate their already aggressive card check organizing campaigns in workplaces across America. Campaigns we are fighting right now and will still be fighting whether EFCA passes or not. 


Card check organizing is actually part of an aggressive union strategy called “top down organizing.” Top down organizing uses a variety of tactics like card check to force employees into unions against their will – often by intimidating and bullying employers, forcing them to knuckle under.

Top down organizing and card check are already a reality in virtually every industry – including auto parts, health care, construction, telecommunications, hotel, grocery, and textiles.


	· The AFL-CIO admits that 70% of new union members are now unionized through top down style campaigns – i.e. card check.
	
	· Even five years ago, 80% of all workers who were newly unionized were corralled without “secret ballot” elections.
	

The fact is, thousands of employees across America are already being forced into union ranks against their will and without a vote. But this situation is on the verge of flying completely out of control.

You should also know card check legislation is only one step in the union bosses’ plan to fully exploit their new political clout. Big Labor is also pushing to...


	... force companies to fire workers who worked during a strike – something companies have not been compelled do for 70 years.
	
	... blacklist employers and employees from all federal contracts unless they unionize or agree to allow card check unionization drives.
	
	... raise taxes on companies that insist on defending employees’ access to a secret ballot election.
	
	... force police and firefighters across the nation to be unionized -- opening the door for strikes that hold vital public services hostage.
	
	... promote the establishment of “mini-unions,” small cells of workers who don't represent a majority but who could force an employer to bargain with them over pay and benefits. 
	
	... repeal Section 14(b) of the Taft-Hartley Act, thereby eliminating all 22 state Right to Work laws that make union affiliation voluntary – the cornerstone of workplace freedom in America.
	

Unfortunately for people like you and me, in pursuit of this radical agenda Big Labor has the most powerful ally they have ever had in the White House. And the most pro-Big Labor Congress in decades.

Just how pro-forced unionism is Barack Obama? 

Well, I ask you to read his own words – such as the words I quoted at the top of this letter -- from his political memoir, “The Audacity of Hope.”

The union bosses can demand this kind of loyalty from Barack Obama and Congressional leaders now in power because their massive and sophisticated, forced-dues-fed political operations.

Big Labor cash and union organizers played a huge role in their electoral victories in the 2006 and 2008 elections. Union bosses claim – and deserve – much of the credit for the far left capture of both houses of Congress and of the White House. 

The AFL-CIO spent $250 million and the Service Employees International Union spent $85 million to elect President Obama. In all, experts in campaign finance estimate Big Labor spent $1.3 billion in the last election cycle to elect Mr. Obama and pro-union boss politicians to Congress.

And the payback has already begun!

On the very day Mr. Obama took office, the Department of Labor stopped the implementation of union financial disclosure rules based directly on precedents won by the National Right to Work Foundation. These rules gave provided greater transparency about union spending.

Within two weeks, President Obama issued four sweeping executive orders – on federal contracting and political spending – demanded by Big Labor. 

Mr. Obama has appointed forced unionism radical Hilda Solis – a co-sponsor of the card check legislation when she was in Congress – as Secretary of Labor. 

He has named SEIU union strategist Patrick Gaspard as his White House political director and former Teamsters lawyer Wilma Liebman to chair the National Labor Relations Board – joining two other union lawyers to form a majority. Liebman is fanatically in favor of compulsory unionization of America’s workplaces.

The payoffs keep coming. Just a few days ago, Mr. Obama slashed the Labor Department's funding to investigate rampant union corruption and ensure compliance with the sparse union disclosure rules that do exist.

And of course Mr. Obama has enthusiastically endorsed card check forced unionism and vowed that it "will pass."

No one knows better than we do just how dangerous the radical Big Labor agenda is. Not just for the workers it will force into unions against their will – but for the many industries it will crush like a tin can and for the entire economy that we all depend on to produce our country’s prosperity.

The union bosses dream of massive forced unionization like we see in countries like France, where a few union boss elites can call strikes that idle the entire country. 

They don’t want the America we know of risk takers, investors, capitalism, and entrepreneurs. They want a welfare-state society with cradle-to-grave government control, where nobody can be fired, individual achievement is discouraged, and union bosses can literally dictate public policy for the entire nation.

You and I know what this means. 

Chronic unemployment. Shoddy products. Mediocrity over excellence as the standard of work. Endless job actions and strikes. Little opportunity for entrepreneurship and a dismantling of our American ideals of self -reliance and independence.

One prominent economist warns that Europe risks becoming a “second- or third-world region” within a generation because strict labor laws deny companies the flexibility they need to survive in these troubled economic times.

Think of what’s happened to the Big Three Detroit automakers happening to every industry in this country. Think of France and Germany today. Think of Great Britain before the reforms of Margaret Thatcher.

This is the kind of America we will have unless we can stop the union bosses’ momentum.

Everything the union bosses want – higher taxes, bigger government, and more regulation -- are exactly the wrong medicine for our precarious economy now.


	Big Labor domination of our political system – which is the inevitable result of massive forced unionization that will arise from unchallenged card check organizing – will doom our economy and end American prosperity.
	

Wall Street Journal senior economics writer and Club for Growth founder Stephen Moore shares some chilling details of the likely impact of massive forced unionism in the video <http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/3207806:4368074258:m:1:155652665:DA3328B98313A6297F312256333E4A4D> .

After watching, you will see why I believe America is facing an emergency today and why we are taking such dramatic steps to expand the Foundation’s ability to fight card check organizing of our job providers, in the arena of public opinion and, most importantly, in the courts.

Why are the courts so important in our battle against forced unionism? 

Because right now the union bosses have almost complete control over two of the three branches of our government – Congress and the Presidency. But they do not yet control the courts!

And it is in the courts that we can most effectively derail the union bosses’ agenda.

For 40 years, the National Right to Work Foundation has used the power of the courts to check Big Labor's abuses, defend workers' rights, block illegal organizing drives, and hold union thugs accountable for violence and bloodshed. 

We’ve been in front of the U.S. Supreme Court 14 times and won a string of victories there to defend Americans from forced unionism.


	• In 1977, Foundation attorneys won the landmark Abood decision at the U.S. Supreme Court that forbids the use of forced dues for political action by government sector union bosses.
	
	• In 1988, the Foundation's landmark Beck victory at the Supreme Court followed up Abood by blocking forced dues for politics by private sector union bosses – an even more devastating blow to Big Labor's power.
	
	• In 2007 the Foundation’s legal team triumphed again before the Supreme Court in the Davenport case that protected 22 state Right to Work laws threatened by a lower court's perversion of the law.
	
	• And dozens of Foundation-won class-action lawsuits have stripped tens of millions from Big Labor and returned the money to workers from whom it was illegally seized.
	

Over the past eight years, the Bush Administration made hundreds of appointments to the federal bench and two huge appointments to the Supreme Court (Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito).

And, for the most part, these judges are committed to the rule of law and the Constitution. They are committed to workplace freedom and union bosses living within the law. The fact is, there has never been such a favorable legal environment to rein in Big Labor’s coercive power.

But this favorable legal climate won’t last forever. President Obama already has the opportunity to put an extreme, pro-forced unionism advocate on the U.S. Supreme Court with the retirement of Justice David Souter. 

It’s very likely he will get more appointment opportunities there and certainly he will be making many appointments to lower federal courts across the country. It may not be long before President Obama is able to put an extreme, pro-forced unionism stamp on the nation’s judiciary.

This means we’ve got to put cases in front of the courts now. 

The good news is that our Foundation attorneys believe organizing workers into unions with coercive card check tactics fundamentally violates labor law and employees’ basic rights.


	We’ve already won cases that have invalidated union representation gained from abusive card check-style organizing campaigns. 
	
	And our superb Foundation legal experts agree that if we can take – and win – enough cases involving abusive top down tactics, they can establish legal precedents that will effectively destroy card check organizing as a tool of forced unionism.
	

Our Foundation attorneys are already assisting workers who have been victimized by top-down organizing in California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Michigan, Florida, Alabama, Texas, Massachusetts, and Kentucky. 

And our legal team has filed cases against the UAW, the Steelworkers, and the hotel unions, as well as against companies like GM and Chrysler who have foolishly given in to union bullying seeking their cooperation with union “top down” organizing schemes.


Of course, to achieve the kind of legal victories our attorneys believe are possible, the Foundation will have to take on even more cases than our current resources allow.


	· We need to bring more cases to the courts that can set new precedents. Precedents that will limit Big Labor's power to force workers into monopoly bargaining units or to pay union dues against their will. Legal rulings that will invalidate many aspects of coercive card check organizing no matter what laws Big Labor’s bought-and-paid-for politicians in Congress or state legislatures may pass.
	
	· We need to bring cases that will prosecute Big Labor for violating employee rights, including for illegally seizing union dues spent on unreported in-kind contributions and massive union-sponsored political projects.
	
	· We need to hit the union bosses with class-action lawsuits that can force millions of dollars in refunds to tens of thousands of workers at one time.
	

And we can’t forget that, in addition to the strategic value of these cases in fighting forced unionism, our legal team also helps real victims of union abuse.

Union violence and abuse are not new. But we have found over the past six years that card check organizing is particularly prone to the kind of fear campaign, intimidation, and even violence orchestrated by union organizers.

Union card check organizers frequently lie to workers about what they’re doing. We have documented cases (as you will see in the video <http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/3207806:4368074258:m:1:155652665:DA3328B98313A6297F312256333E4A4D> ) of union thugs telling workers they will be fired if they don’t sign the cards. When union organizers get access to employee addresses they make home visits and intimidate workers by revealing intimate details about their children.

I am proud that we are able to help workers victimized by this appalling – and illegal – union abuse. I wish we could help more. In fact, I wish we had the resources to defend every worker in this country who wants to fight back against forced union membership.

But because we can’t take every case, we make sure to take ones that can establish sweeping new precedents -- while exposing heavy-handed tactics that victimize and abuse the very workers the union bosses say they are trying to help. 

We must fight the battle for public opinion as well as the legal battle against union coercive power. We must take cases that highlight union thuggery and violence and let the country know to what lengths union bosses are willing to go to achieve their radical goals.

Our strategy to fight the union bosses and card check organizing is threefold:


	· Strategic litigation – designed to set legal precedents from individual cases that will protect all American employees from compulsory unionism
	
	· Education – of workers about their rights AND of all Americans to the dangers of massive forced unionism.
	
	· Mobilization – of workers, employers, and concerned citizens across America who are prepared to stand up and fight for workplace freedom and against European-style union domination of our government.
	

To pursue these strategies, we have created a new unit within the Foundation specifically to confront union abuse arising from top down organizing. This unit is called the “Card Check Litigation Task Force.”

In creating this new unit we recognize the emergency our nation is facing. We recognize...


	... threats of new union coercive power has never been greater than this moment. 
	
	... forced unionism operatives have never been so deeply entrenched in the inner circle – at the very highest levels – of our national leadership or so committed to a truly radical far left agenda. 
	
	... we have never had a President and majorities in Congress so willing to do virtually anything the union bosses want, including stripping American workers of their fundamental rights.
	

And right now, as I hope I have been able to impress upon you, the Foundation’s experienced legal team may be the critical last line of defense as the union bosses try to literally reshape America.

To meet this crisis, this unprecedented danger of massive forced unionism, we are seeking to raise an additional $2,021,895 to fund this task force. This includes:


	$1,205,049 For additional attorneys, paralegals and support staff to help us take more cases and set legal precedents that will derail card check organizing
	
	$380,116 For an aggressive and nationwide public information, media, internet communications, and advertising strategy
	
	$436,730 For other vital activities that support the Foundation's program against card check organizing, including management, accounting, and overhead
	

Westley, you are one of the few who understand that while the pending card check legislation is a looming danger, card check organizing is already a reality – and will remain an increasing threat whether the EFCA card check bill passes or not. And that the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation’s strategic legal program is the best way to resist and eventually destroy outrageous union tactics like card check.

The purpose of my letter today – and the video <http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/3207806:4368074258:m:1:155652665:DA3328B98313A6297F312256333E4A4D>  – is to enlist your early help in raising funds we urgently need to expand our counterattack in the face of this historic threat from forced unionism.

While you consider this, let me share some particularly good news that may affect the size of your donation.


	A select group of loyal Foundation supporters who believe so strongly in stopping top down organizing have made a challenge gift that will match your tax-deductible contribution dollar for dollar. This means your special donation to the Card Check Litigation Task Force at this time will be doubled.
	

But this challenge is only in effect until July 31, 2009 – just a few weeks from now. I urge you to send your most generous contribution immediately to take advantage of this generous offer.

Your donation <http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/3207806:4368074258:m:1:155652665:DA3328B98313A6297F312256333E4A4D>  of $100, $250, $500 or more would be a truly meaningful investment in our ability to stop and even roll back this massive increase in forced union membership. If you can send $1,000 or more that would be tremendous.

Of course, if you cannot make a gift of that size today, I completely understand. Please know ANY AMOUNT YOU CAN SEND will be greatly appreciated – and put to immediate good use.

I’m glad more individuals and groups have followed our lead and are now mobilizing against the threat of card check organizing and have joined in the fight to stop it.

But card check forced unionism is already a reality. It’s already forcing hundreds of thousands of workers into union ranks against their will. Using the card check tactics, radical union boss Andrew Stern is bragging his union allies will recruit 1.5 million new dues paying members every single year for the next decade – at least.

And only the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation is fighting card check in the one arena in which we can inflict serious damage to the Big Labor’s forced unionism agenda – the courts.

No other committee or organization does what we do. Since we were founded by Reed Larson in 1968, the Foundation's staff of expert attorneys has fought for the rights of more than 380,000 employees in more than 2,500 cases, from arbitration hearings to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Of course, we are now and always have been entirely dependent on completely voluntary contributions from Americans who share our opposition to coercive union power. Unlike Big Labor, we receive no government funds and have no power to coerce.

Since our founding, no other group has matched our ability to turn our contributors’ resources into real successes in the struggle against coercive unionism. 

But we now face a rapidly emerging new threat... potentially the biggest threat from organized labor in American history. A threat we cannot effectively face without a significant increase in our financial resources.

That’s why your donation <http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/3207806:4368074258:m:1:155652665:DA3328B98313A6297F312256333E4A4D>  is so important. And why it is so important that you give at a higher level than ever before.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and watch the important video <http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/3207806:4368074258:m:1:155652665:DA3328B98313A6297F312256333E4A4D>  we’ve prepared for you... and for all you do to make our work possible.

Sincerely,
 <http://righttoworkfoundation.org/MyImages/mix_sig.gif> 
Mark Mix
President

P.S. Remember, Westley, we receive calls for help every day from workers overwhelmed by the coercive and intrusive tactics of union organizers. The fact is there has been a significant increase in these appeals since the election of Mr. Obama – AND major opportunities to use the union bosses’ outrageously abusive tactics against them.

As you’ll see in your video – please watch it right away <http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/3207806:4368074258:m:1:155652665:DA3328B98313A6297F312256333E4A4D>  – we are at a pivotal point in our nation’s history. If we do not step up right now to confront the forced unionism power grabs threatening our economy and our freedoms, the union bosses could become an unstoppable political force in remaking America.

I know that with Mr. Obama in the White House and forced union proponents dominating the Congress as never before, it’s easy to be discouraged. But we have prevailed in tough times before. This is a struggle we can win in the courts – and in the court of public opinion.