The Specter of Compromise

What does the announcement of Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) on the so-called Employee Free Choice Act (S. 560) really mean? Doug Stafford of the National Right to Work Committee has the answer:

Senator Arlen Specter should not presume to be the deciding vote on this bill, now or in the future. Several Senate Democrats have publicly remained undecided on this dangerous bill because it is so unpopular with the American people.

But more importantly, this announcement should not be seen as a definitive answer from the Senator — or as the conclusion to the battle on Card Check. While we certainly welcome Senator Specter’s reconsideration of his past support for Big Labor’s number one legislative goal, it should be met with some skepticism — and that skepticism can be reinforced by simply reading down far enough through his speech today.

Senator Specter says, ‘If efforts are unsuccessful to give Labor sufficient bargaining power through amendments to the NLRA, then I would be willing to reconsider Employees’ Free Choice legislation. . . .”

Also telling are the ‘reforms’ advanced by the Senator as an appendix to his speech. His proposals are totally unacceptable, as they will be used by Big Labor to corral more workers into forced unionism. Specter’s ideas include quick-snap elections where only the union officials’ side of the story is told, allowing union organizers access to company time and property to pressure employees, and beefed up intrusion by government arbitrators.

Those on the side of freedom must therefore remain vigilant in the ongoing battle to protect American workers and small business from forced unionism — whether they be in the form of the original Card Check Forced Unionism Bill, Specter’s alternative proposals, or any other so-called ‘compromise’ legislation.

The National Right to Work Committee urges opponents of Card Check and similar so-called compromise legislation to resist the urge to declare victory where none has yet occurred, and to remain vigilant in their opposition to this and other Big Labor forced-unionism power grabs.