Putting big labor and big government first
March 11, 2009 | By Nathaniel Ward
"The misnamed Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) does more than effectively eliminate workers' rights to a secret ballot vote on joining a union," Heritage Foundation labor expert James Sherk reports.
It could also give control of the workplace to government bureaucrats.
If employees and their employer cannot come to an agreement, the government could write the collective bargaining agreements of most newly organized companies. These bureaucrats would have the power to set not just wages and benefits but all business operations that significantly affect workers. This includes promotion procedures, retirement plans, health benefits, subcontracting, mergers, work assignments, even the machines used to run a plant. Employers would lose the ability to pursue their business strategies, and workers would lose all say about their workplace for two years.
The Heritage Foundation is working hard to explain the problems with this approach to Congress, the Obama administration, the media and the public.
» Get the facts on the proposal on Heritage's dedicated Rapid Response page
» Read a one-page summary from Heritage Foundation experts
Speak Up. Make a Difference. Win $500.
President Obama is expected to sign yet another massive spending bill. This time it's the $410 billion omnibus, which includes an eight percent spending hike for the second consecutive year. This overspending must stop.
The Americans for Prosperity Foundation and The Heritage Foundation have teamed up to create a video contest called Stop Spending Our Future. It's an opportunity for you to use humor or emotion to help frame this debate in personal terms. The top five video submissions will each receive a prize in the amount of $500.
We're asking you to respond to this question: What's your biggest frustration about the government's appetite for more spending in the midst of the tough economic climate?
Find out how to stimulate your economy at StopSpendingOurFuture.org.
Other Heritage work of note
- During his radio program last week, Rush Limbaugh discussed the "amazing story" Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL) told to The Heritage Foundation's weekly Conservative Blogger Briefing. The radio host added that this is "another reason why I am so grateful for The Heritage Foundation. Man, I'll tell you, they are just doing some fabulous, fabulous work in shoring up our end of things. You know, I say I'm The Last Man Standing here, but I have a support crew and a support staff at the Heritage Foundation which I cherish."
Limbaugh will be speaking at Heritage's May 4 President's Club Meeting in Washington, D.C. Join the President's Club today to get your invitation.
- North Korea's missile program poses a real threat to the United States, as this Heritage Foundation graphic demonstrates.
Heritage is working hard to raise awareness about the need for missile defenses. We recently premiered "33 Minutes: Protecting America in the New Missile Age," our plain-talking, nonpartisan documentary film on the need to counter the growing threat of missile attack.
- The Obama administration is listening to The Heritage Foundation, at least on some issues. Heritage legal expert Hans von Spakovsky recently noted that "the Civil Rights Division at the Justice Department had dropped the annual conference of the Federalist Society from its list of eight approved conferences that its employees could attend this year." The Federalist Society is a conservative legal group. Shortly after he published his article, he reports, "the Federalist Society has just magically reappeared on the approved conference list."
- The White House has asked Heritage Foundation national security expert James Carafano to brief an administration commission on how to strengthen national security. Carafano, one of just a few experts invited, will present his "Homeland Security 3.0" proposal, developed jointly with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Carafano's earlier "Homeland Security 2.0" report was extremely influential in the Bush administration's Homeland Security Department.
- ABC News has asked Heritage Foundation economist Bill Beach to advise the network on its coverage of the economic situation. This gives our experts a great opportunity to influence the media and equip them with the best conservative information and common-sense analysis Heritage has to offer.
- President Barack Obama has announced a plan to allow help Americans negotiate better terms on their mortgages so they can remain in their homes. But while this proposal may make for good politics, it's poor policy. That's because it ends up effectively penalizing those who played by the rules, Heritage Foundation economist David John writes in the New York Post. For example, he notes that "the plan requires homeowners who have scrimped and sacrificed to pay their mortgages to bail out their less responsible neighbors."
In other news
- Liberals in Congress have forced through a $410 billion spending bill that increases federal outlays eight percent over 2008 levels. President Obama has indicated he will sign the bill, which also contains almost 8,000 pork-barrel spending earmarks.
- Banks that accept government aid are facing increasing burdens imposed by politicians, including requirements that go beyond solving the financial crisis.
- The French government is looking to rejoin NATO's command structure.
- "South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is expected Wednesday to become the first governor to formally reject some of the federal stimulus money earmarked by Congress for his state," McClatchy reports.
- The unemployment rate increased to 8.1 percent last month, while the economy lost more than 650,000 jobs. Congress can help get the economy back on track with a pro-growth economic policy. Instead, lawmakers are throwing more spending at special interests and proposing economy-crippling tax increases.
- British doctors have proposed that all prescription drugs be offered free to patients in England. They forget one of the core axioms of economics: there's no such thing as a free lunch.
- Customs and Border Protection has released a map showing the status of border fence construction (link in PDF).
- The Politico reports that leftist groups are coordinating their message on a daily basis to defend the Obama administration's policies. This is apparently an effort to mimic the supposed "vast right-wing conspiracy" led by groups like The Heritage Foundation. Columnist Jonah Goldberg notes, though, that liberal groups "don't seem to understand that the purpose of institutions like the Heritage Foundation is to make the White House and Congress more of an echo chamber of Heritage, not the other way around."
Coming up at Heritage
To attend these or any other events at Heritage please RSVP at Heritage's website. Or you can view these events live online. All times are Eastern.
- On Thursday, March 12 at noon, health care expert Sally Pipes will discuss her new book, The Top Ten Myths of American Health Care: A Citizen's Guide.
- On Tuesday, March 17 at noon, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will speak at The Heritage Foundation about the dangers of massive government overspending.
Nathaniel Ward is the Editor of MyHeritage.org—a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation.
