Jottings By An Employer's Lawyer

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Stirring the Pot - the Center for Union Facts


In an action bound to set off a substantial debate, a new group, the Center for Union Facts, launched what they hope will be a 5 million dollar publicity program giving a different view of factual information than that presented by organized labor. The NYT story, Group Starts Anti-Union Campaign, has more details on the beginning and role of the group.

Financed by companies and a foundation that the Executive Director, Richard Berman, does not identify, one of the purposes is to make sure that information is made available to workers whose employers have agreed to elections by card checks, or although not mentioned in the article, have agreed to remain neutral during an organizing campaign. Under those circumstances, the CUF's view is that workers get only one side of the story.

If you missed their full page ads that the CUF took out in major publications yesterday, you can check out what they have to say at their website, unionfacts.com. In addition to the ads, they also took a page from unions' playbook by picketing AFL-CIO headquarters. For a look at their emblem for unions and pictures of "management pickets" if you will, you can go here.

I anticipate numerous cries of foul from those in organized labor and Nathan Newman is one of the first at How Corporate Right Lies About Union Corruption. Hard for me to claim neutrality given my role, but I wonder how many will agree with Newman's view after reviewing the site that:
Any union illegal conduct should be rooted out, but in a world of multi-billion corporate corruption, unions are pure as snow, especially in comparison to the criminals running corporate America.
I would be surprised if he gets many takers on the "pure as snow" part of that quotation.

Although there will no doubt be more shots taken at the CUF, beneath it all, organized labor has to be thrilled that they have proven themselves worthy of a response. That may well be the most significant aspect of this matter.


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