by Earl Tillery
Places like Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, are passing laws that are prohibiting public workers from having unions. Maybe some of our reactions would be, “that’s to bad for them.” If we think the elected officials are going to stop at public employees, we would stand as being wrong. The war prisoners in Europe during WWII could tell us lots of stories about witnessing their fellow citizens riding the train to the gas chambers.
Recently the executive branch of our government changed the rules about voting in an organizing election. Now, the rule is that the winner need only 50% plus one of the votes cast to win a representation election. As many of you know, there is a bill in the House of Congress to extend the finances of the Federal Aviation Administration. This bill is stalled right now, and over 4000 FAA employees have been laid off. Also, over 60 thousand workers are subject to being without a job soon because of all the contracts over the country at airports are on hold because of the FAA appropriations bill.
The hold on the bill is mostly because the party in power in the house wants the rule of voting in a representation election to be repealed and revert back to the old rule which is only fair to the big money people, and therefore makes representation elections very difficult for union organizers. I hope you’re interested in the way congress operates, and please contact your US Congressman and US Senators. Their phone numbers are in the book, and their emails are in your computer. Legislators listen to big money and slick lobbyists. So the only real weapon we have is numbers. Not money numbers, but people numbers. Lobbyists develop a close relationship with the congress. They are in contact daily. With the computer nowadays, remember, they are coming for us. Elections are our life line. You and your family can make it an ongoing project to keep in touch with your Congressman and Senator.