Teamsters: Taking on freedom of speech around the world
Argentina has faced a lot of adversity in the last decade, not the least of which was the Kirchner Administration’s (and the legislature’s) recent attack on free speech and the press, as reported in the Wall Street Journal. It doesn’t help that the Teamsters locals are cutting off paper distribution, to force unionization under the [more...]

Posted Thu, 05 Nov 2009 .

Retirement: Sexual harrassment by any other name
One of 24 international vice presidents of the Teamsters, James Santangelo, has resigned his multiple posts within the Teamsters union. He was the president of Teamsters Joint Council 42 which represented 129,000 members in California, Hawaii, and elsewhere. He also led Local 848. While the Teamsters maintain they didn’t force him out, you wonder why they [more...]

Posted Thu, 05 Nov 2009 .

What is Card Check or the Employee Free Choice Act?

Executive Summary
The best decisions are made with the best information—and without coercion. That is true for employees deciding whether to join a union. It is equally true for politicians who are being pressured by labor leaders to codify the union organizing method known as “card check,” a scheme rife with intimidation, coercion, and confusion.
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Introduction
Union officials’ top priority? Ending the secret ballot elections process and the associated protections for employees choosing whether to join a union.
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Shifting Strategies
Few would complain about winning six of 10 fair elections or increasing the number of elections resulting in certifications, but union organizers aren’t looking for fair elections. They want big numbers. And they want them now.
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History
Between 1935 and 1947, the National Labor Relations Act allowed for secret ballot elections or “other suitable methods” to determine union recognition. Union spokespersons often note this fact, but stop here. They fail to acknowledge that in representation cases handled by the NLRB, only an estimated 20 percent were through the card check method.
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