Business Weekly
March 16 – 20, 2009
- Employee Free Choice Act Update
- 50th Annual Washington Fly-In and Congressional Dinner Set for April 18-21
- Leadership Arkansas to Hold Economic Development Session in Fort Smith
- State Chamber/AIA Leadership Conference – Revived, Refocused, Inspired
- State Chamber to Host Procurement Conference
- State Chamber/AIA to Publish Arkansas Manufacturers Directory
- Welcome to Our New Members
- Thanks to Our Pinnacle Members
- Calendar of Events
Employee Free Choice Act Update
By Matthew S.L. Cate
Hoping to whip up opposition to a congressional bill that would make it
easier for workers to unionize,
The Employee Free Choice Act, according to the collective
speaking against it last Thursday afternoon, would “flip the table”
and “absolutely devastate small business.”
Sylvester Smith, director of the National Federation of
Independent Business’ state chapter, called it “the worst thing
we can do against the American worker.”
Such claims, pro-labor groups counter, “smack of
desperation” and are part of a “multi-million-dollar misinformation
campaign.”
“I think it’s shameful,” Mary Beth
Maxwell, the executive director of American Rights at Work, said during a
morning conference call. “It’s very clear that 2009 is the year
that we will pass the Employee Free Choice Act and restore fairness to
workers.”
Two Democrats, Sen. Ted Kennedy of
Pro-labor groups are lobbying congressional representatives by phone, by e-mail and by direct office visits. Business groups are using similar pressure tactics. Both sides are running expensive TV ads. This Monday, the Arkansas AFL-CIO hosted a candlelight vigil at the state Capitol.
“There’s a lot going on across the country on
this effort,” Bill Samuel, chief lobbyist for the AFL-CIO, chipped in during
the conference call.
Senate Republicans have vowed to filibuster the
legislation, and it’s unknown whether Democrats can overcome them. Both
sides are pressing publicly uncommitted senators hard, especially in
Sens. Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor, both Democrats, have
sponsored the bill in previous years, when it had no chance of passage. Now,
Last Thursday, a coalition spearheaded by the Arkansas
State Chamber of Commerce held a forum against the legislation, sometimes
known as the “card-check bill.” Arkansans for the Secret Ballot
included members of building, hospitality and hospital associations. Billed
as a “frank conversation,” unions weren’t invited.
“We didn’t want to turn it into a
debate,” said Chamber CEO Randy Zook, drawing a round of chuckles when
he added: “I can tell you what they’d say.”
While saying several times that the group is not opposed
to organized labor, members simultaneously contended that increased
unionization “just kills productivity” and, as Montine McNulty
said on behalf of the hospitality industry, “would be the death.”
In
“The current system works,” Zook said.
Currently, workers can try to organize after signing up at
least 30 percent of their colleagues. But employers usually demand
government-run elections before accepting new unions.
The bill would largely shift the decision into the hands
of employees: If a majority of them sign pro-union cards, the employer could
not force a vote.
No Choice In Free Choice Act
By Glenn Garvin
Mcclatchy Newspapers
If consistency is really the hobgoblin of little minds,
then Hilda Solis and George Miller must be
Miller is the U.S. House’s chief sponsor of the
Orwellianly named Employee Free Choice Act, a bill much-coveted by labor
unions that would do away with secret-ballot voting when they’re trying
to organize a company workforce. And Solis, a former congresswoman from
Oddly enough, Miller and Solis used to think secret
ballots were the very lifeblood of democracy. In 2001, introducing himself as
someone “deeply concerned with international labor standards,”
Miller wrote Mexican officials urging them to allow workers to vote on unionization
with secret ballots.
“The secret ballot is absolutely necessary in order
to ensure that workers are not intimidated into voting for a union they might
not otherwise choose,” Miller wrote, adding that the practice
“will help bring real democracy to the Mexican workplace.” (The
American workplace, I guess, is quite another matter.)
Solis was in
Under
Democratic Party vassals want to change that to a
so-called Card Check procedure; a union would simply present signed cards
from more than half the affected workers, and poof! The union is in charge,
no election muss or fuss.
Labor leaders say they need a new law governing elections
because they’re losing membership. Unionization of private-sector
employees, which peaked at 35 percent in the mid-1950s, has dropped to less
than a quarter of that. But the decline hasn’t come because unions are
losing elections—they won two-thirds of them in the first six months of
2008. Union membership is falling because unionized industries are dying,
automating or fleeing overseas. That’s not coincidental. When the
average UAW worker makes $73 an hour in wages and benefits, when UAW
contracts impose more than 5,000 pages of rules on how factories can operate,
both capital and consumers migrate toward nonunion Japanese carmakers.
That’s the bitter irony of EFCA: It won’t save
jobs, but destroy them. Ordinarily, when you make such radical changes in an
economic model, you can only make guesses about the outcome. But in the case
of EFCA, we know exactly what will happen because
Most American labor law is made at the federal level. But
Canadian workers are largely regulated by the country’s provincial
governments, which for the past three decades have been moving back and forth
between card-checks and secret-ballot elections to certify unions.
So we can say two things with certainty about EFCA: More
unions will be certified, and more workers will be laid off. A study of
That’s pretty good news if you’re a union
boss, pretty bad news if you’re a worker, because unemployment jumps
right along with unionization. According to the study, for every three
percentage-point increase in organized workers, the unemployment rate goes up
one percentage point. So if the AFL-CIO prediction that EFCA will increase
unionization by five percentage points is correct, 2.7 million American workers
will lose their jobs.
If you find that worrisome at a time when the American
economy is already shedding 600,000 jobs a month, you must have a bad case of
the hobgoblins.
(Glenn Garvin is a columnist for the
Beware, Americans the End of Freedom
IT’S IN the works, the bill’s in the hopper, the rails are
greased. Last week the Democratic leadership in Congress introduced its
master plan to unionize American workers—a plan that would do away with
the bothersome little detail of having the workers actually vote on that
decision. Vote, shmote. This ain’t about democracy, it’s about power.
And how to seize it.
Ah, yes, the right to vote. Just a minor detail, though it
used to be of some importance in a free country. We remember it well. But
after this session of Congress, the secret ballot may be only a quaint relic
of a past time when it comes to labor-management relations under our new
president and New Order.
Will the actual vote in Congress be just a formality? Has
the deck been stacked? Is it all over but the shoutin’? Or is the
debate just warming up?
Speak up now or forever hold your peace—because once
this new system goes into effect, some precious rights will be lost. The
secret ballot would be only the first of them, replaced by a card-check
system that allows union organizers to browbeat workers into joining up.
Those who declined would have to take a lonely stand in public, risking
harassment. The worker’s privacy—his right to be left alone to
make his decision—would be gone.
But that’s just for starters. Once the right to vote
has been lost, the union installed under a new card-check system, and a
contract being negotiated, both labor and management would lose their right
to bargain with each other once an arbitrary deadline had
passed—specifically, 120 days. After that, their differences would have
to be submitted to arbitration.
This new, disimproved system would change the whole tempo,
tone and substance of the negotiations as one side or the other tried to
manipulate the new rules. This would be a whole new ballgame, and—after
120 days—the umpire would become one of the players.
In their native American ingenuity, no doubt both sides would come up with new and clever ways to avoid bargaining with each other freely. Those quaint days would be gone. For the clock would be running on their freedom to negotiate. And one side or the other would be tempted to run the clock out, or use the impending deadline to press the other to accept its terms. Take it or leave it—to arbitration.
In a free society, neither labor nor management should be
subject to such coercion. But this bill, with its 120-day deadline to reach
an agreement or else, makes the old Taft-Hartley Act, with its 80-day
cooling-off period before a major strike is called, seem almost mild.
THE CARD-CHECK bill was bad enough before, when it just
deprived workers of their right to vote. But these additional provisions may
be even worse: Once the union’s installed, no negotiations after 120
days! After that, collective bargaining would be replaced by
government-decreed arbitration. Even before the 120 days had passed, the
threat of arbitration would hover over both sides, limiting their freedom.
The principle at the heart of collective
bargaining—the ability to negotiate free of pressure—would be gone
with the secret ballot.
This new system would drastically change the way labor and
management relate to one another when it comes to settling their differences.
Before, management could continue to negotiate until it had a deal it could
live with, and the same went for the labor union. Now government would step
in if it didn’t think the company and the union were moving fast enough.
If and when this radical change becomes law, and the 120
days are past, it’ll be up to government-appointed arbitrators to
decide any disagreements between labor and management—even though the
arbitrators won’t be the ones who have to live with their decision.
That burden would fall on workers and managers.
In
50th Annual
The State Chamber/AIA recently e-mailed and sent by regular mail information to our members on the Washington Fly-In and Congressional Dinner including a Registration Form and Sponsorship Opportunities. All sponsorship opportunities include recognition in the printed materials for the event. If you would like to register and have not done so yet or need another copy of the Registration Form and Sponsorship Opportunities, click here.
We meet and greet our senators, representatives and their staffs at their offices, at luncheons and breakfasts and at the reception and dinner. The Fly-In is organized to afford maximum opportunity to discuss not only federal issues that affect our state, but also those of local importance.
If you have not participated in this event in the past, this is a perfect opportunity for you to do so. Given the extraordinary level of business issues ranging from the Employee Free Choice Act to economic stimulus bill provisions to all sorts of other mischief, it’s imperative that we have a large crowd for this event.
In addition to encouraging you to register to participate in this event—as a repeat attendee or as a first-timer—we are seeking sponsors to partner with us as hosts. This governmental affairs activity provides an excellent opportunity for productive contact with our senators, representatives and their staffs.
Sponsors to date for the Washington Fly-In and Congressional Dinner include: The Work Place, Presenting; The Harriet and Warren Stephens, Stephens Inc. Charitable Contributions Committee, Patron; Cox Communications and The Alliance of Jefferson County, Dessert; Acxiom, America’s Car Mart, Central Moloney, Global Strategy Group, LLC, Kimberly-Clark Corp., Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce, Nabholz Construction Corp., Tyson Foods and Windstream Corp., Gold; AEP/SWEPCO and Langston Companies Inc., Silver, CardinalHealth, CenturyTel, Rogers-Lowell Chamber of Commerce, Russellville Area Chamber of Commerce and Securitas Security Services, Bronze; and Oce/Copy Systems and Troutman Sanders Public Affairs, Contributor.
If you have questions on the Fly-In and Congressional Dinner, call Deb Mathis at (501) 210-4212 or email her at dmathis@arkansasstatechamber.com.
Leadership
Leadership Arkansas Class III will hold its next session
covering Economic Development on Thursday and Friday, February 26-27 in
Sponsors for the Session include Golden
Living, AOG, Baldor, CenterPoint Energy, Chesapeake Energy Corp.,
The Session agenda will include a presentation on the “Marriage of Economic Development and Education by Dr. Ray Wallace, Provost of the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith; a Manufacturing Overview and Prospect Development Process presentation by Sandy Sanders, Interim President and CEO and Cheryl Garner, Vice President of Economic Development for the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce; a class lunch; a tour of Baldor; a reception and dinner at Golden Living; a presentation on the “Impact and Issues of the Natural Gas Industry” by Robert Zeiler, Community Affairs Manager for Chesapeake Energy; a presentation on the History of Fort Chaffee by Ivy Owen, Executive Director, and a Class Manufacturing Project.
Additional sessions planned for the coming months throughout the state include:
- Session
VI – Northeast Arkansas Economy, May 21-22, 2009,
- Session
VII – Northwest Arkansas Economy, June 25-26, 2009,
- Leadership
Class III Graduation will be held June 26, 2009 in
Leadership
The Chairman for this year’s Leadership Arkansas
class is program founder Paul H. Harvel. Curriculum Chairman is Michele Bond.
Leadership Arkansas Class III is sponsored by
If you would like to be a session sponsor or need further information about Leadership Arkansas, please call Susie Marks at 501-210-4206 or e-mail her at smarks@arkansasstatechamber.com.
State Chamber/AIA Leadership Conference – Revived, Refocused, Inspired
The
Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce Leadership Arkansas program will present
its first Leadership Conference – Revived, Refocused, Inspired on Friday, May 8 at the
Featured speakers for this exciting event include golfing legend Jack Nicklaus, former Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Tony Blair and Liz Murray, whose true-life story inspired the Lifetime movie “Homeless to Harvard”. Ernie Johnson, professional sports announcer and host of TNT’s Inside the NBA, will serve as master of ceremonies for the event.
This event
will be live simulcast broadcast from
You will leave this Leadership Conference refreshed and enlightened - and you will offer your team a renewed sense of hope and vision as you take your learning experiences back to them.
Leadership
Tickets are $75 each and a limited number are available, so act fast. To order tickets or for further information, contact Susie Marks at (501) 210-4206 or smarks@arkansasstatechamber.com.
State Chamber to Host Procurement Conference
The Arkansas State Chamber is partnering with the U.S.
Small Business Administration, the state congressional offices and the
Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC) to bring the Arkansas
Procurement Opportunities Conference to
The Procurement Opportunities Conference will include the Annual Small Business Awards Luncheon, networking, training and procurement opportunities. It will also feature a business exposition/matchmaking event, pairing small business owners with prime contractors, federal agencies and major corporations in a one-on-one setting.
Some 350 local and regional small business owners (SBEs, MBEs, WBEs and DBEs) will come together for a full day of procurement opportunities with 150 buyers from federal agencies, prime contractors and major corporations.
Sponsorship opportunities for this event are possible. For further information, please contact Susie Marks or Jeff Thatcher at 501-372-2222, or log onto www.arkansasprocurement.org.
State Chamber/AIA to Publish
The State Chamber/AIA plans to publish the Arkansas
Manufacturers Directory in June. This publication will contain in-depth
company profiles of more than 4,000 industrial businesses. Each
The Arkansas Manufacturers Directory will also serve as a valuable resource
if you are looking for suppliers here in the state. Copies of the Directory
will be distributed to State Chamber/AIA members, membership prospects and
manufacturers throughout
The Directory will have a one-year shelf life and be a good marketing vehicle for you to promote your services among our members, membership prospects and manufacturers throughout the state.
For information on ad rates and specifications, contact
Welcome to Our New Members
Thanks to the following companies and organizations that have recently joined the State Chamber/AIA:
Arthritis Foundation,
Benefit Administrators Group
Capitol Glass Co. Inc.
Career Solutions
CMT, Inc.
First Arkansas Bank & Trust
Hewlett Packard
McGhee’s Moving & Storage
Thanks to Our Pinnacle Members
We wish to express special thanks to all of our Pinnacle investors, the respected companies that support the State Chamber/AIA at the highest annual investment levels. We appreciate all that they do for us.
APEX
Alltel Corporation
Entergy Arkansas, Inc.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Chesapeake Energy, Inc.
Cox Communications
Tyson Foods, Inc.
XTO Energy, Inc.
PEAK
Arvest Bank
AT&T Arkansas
CenterPoint Energy Southern Gas
Electric Cooperatives of
FedEx Freight - East
Georgia-Pacific Corporation
Kraft Foods
Oaklawn Jockey Club
SemGroup LP
Southern Bancorp, Inc.
Southwestern Energy Company
State Farm Insurance
Verizon Wireless
Windstream Corporation
CROWN
Acxiom Corporation
AEP Southwestern Electric Power
Albemarle Corporation
Alcoa Inc.
American Greetings Corporation
Arkansas Oklahoma Gas Corporation
Bank of the Ozarks
BP America, Inc.
CardinalHealth
CenterPoint Energy Gas Transmission Company
Crossland Construction
Deltic Timber Corporation
Dynegy
Entegra Power Group LLC
Evergreen Packaging Company
Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company of Arkansas, Inc.
Forest Oil Corporation
Glad Manufacturing/A Clorox Company
Golden Living
International Paper Company
Kimberly-Clark Corporation
Lion Oil Company
McKee Foods Corporation
Metropolitan National Bank
Nabholz Construction Corporation
Nucor-Yamato Steel
OG+E
Petrohawk
Philander
Potlatch Forest Products Corporation
Rheem Air Conditioning Division
Riceland Foods, Inc.
Signature Bank of
Stephens, Inc.
Storm Cat Energy
The Clorox Company
The Trane Company
US Bank
Waste Management
Weyerhaeuser Company
Wright Lindsey & Jennings
Calendar of Events
March 26-27 Leadership
Economic Development Session
March 26 Regional Board Member Meeting
In
Conjunction with Leadership
Class
III Meeting,
April 20 State Chamber/AIA Board Meeting
Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel
April 20
Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel
May 6 Small Business Council Meeting
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Conference Room
May 8 Maximum Impact Simulcast Leadership Conference
7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
May 13 State Chamber/AIA Board Meeting
10 a.m.
State Chamber Conference Room
May 13 New Member Luncheon
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
State Chamber Conference Room
May 21-22 Leadership
June 2
June 2 Nineteenth
Annual
Small Business Awards Luncheon
June 25-26 Leadership
June 26 Leadership
Graduation
August 12 State Chamber/AIA Board Meeting
10 a.m.
State Chamber Conference Room
August 12 New Member Luncheon
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
State Chamber Conference Room
October 19 State Chamber/AIA Annual Meeting
State Chamber/AIA Board Meeting
DoubleTree Hotel
