thetruthaboutefca.com | The Truth About The Employee Free Choice Act & Card Check

The White House has named union attorney Craig Becker (whom this blog has dubbed the Card Check King) to the high post of the National Labor Relations Board, utilizing a contentious “recess appointment” that allows Becker to bypass the Constitutionally envisioned confirmation process.

As Carter Wood notes, it’s questionable whether Becker would have been approved by the Senate:

Becker was indeed approved by the Senate HELP Committee on a partyline vote, but as noted, he lacked sufficient support in the full Senate to win confirmation. Opposing him were two Democratic Senators, Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas.

More importantly, Wood writes, the “business community has vigorously opposed the Becker appointment because of his record of radical views on labor that would exclude any employer involvement, including expression of opinion, when unions try to organize a business.”

The tally: Recess appointments for union lawyers and the school of hard knocks for workplace democracy.

The Hill is reporting on employer opposition to a National Labor Relations Board recess appointment of SEIU and AFL-CIO union lawyer Craig Becker, whose writings have indicated a willingness to shred workplace democracy for employees.

Here are some of the details:

Reviewing his academic writings, they argue if Becker were seated on the labor board, he would be able to

Thank goodness for the ardent defense of workplace democracy being demonstrated by the AFL-CIO, whose president writes:

On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that shouldn’t even have to exist.

The question in New Process Steel v. National Labor Relations Board is whether decisions by the NLRB-the body created under the National Labor Relations Act to protect workplace democracy-are valid when the board has only two of the five members provided for in the act.

Hmm. Notice that part, “protect workplace democracy”? Interesting.

All this time we were worried that union bosses had forgotten about workplace democracy. After all, they’ve been pushing the card check bill, which would effectively eliminate secret ballot elections from the workplace and threaten an employee’s right to vote on an eventual contract proposal.

And SEIU has faced allegations by union rivals of subverting democracy for their own members of changing ballots, showing up at workers’ homes as many as five times a day to pressure them to vote for SEIU, questioning the legal status of one worker, and threatening the wages and benefits of a worker if they voted the wrong way.

Glad we’ve cleared up where they stand on workers’ rights.

UPDATE: Shopfloor’s Keith Smith writes: “It

A hard-left site is reporting:

Earlier this month, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis intimated that Craig Becker, a nominee for the currently non-functioning National Labor Relations Board, would get a recess appointment to the body. Now Tom Harkin is saying the same thing, telling CQ

Over at NPR sits an interesting argument: The president can have a “hinge” moment “to do something he hasn’t done particularly well during his first year in office: successfully defy his opponents and, at the same time, reassure his most loyal supporters.”

The way he can achieve such a political victory? Force through the installation of the Card Check King, otherwise known as National Labor Relations Board nominee — and SEIU and AFL-CIO lawyer — Craig Becker.

Unfortunately for employers, employees, and everyone else, Becker is off the wall. Those aren’t our words, they’re the words of a top Senator, Orrin Hatch.

So, we ask: Would winning a Becker battle be a “hinge” moment or a “fringe” moment? We think the facts speak for themselves, but ask yourself one final question: If Becker weren’t so far outside the mainstream and so dedicated to decreasing employer and employee speech at the expense of union power, would the powerful SEIU rest so many of its hopes on him?

Our friends at Shopfloor.org put as a question to Sen. Orrin Hatch whether the President should continue pushing for Craig Becker to sit on the National Labor Relations Board.

The answer? Nope. No. Nein. The Senator said:

The man is off the wall. He