Worker Advocate Calls on Newt Gingrich to Rescind Endorsement of Big Labor Ally Dede Scozzafava

Gingrich accused of hypocrisy, asked to apologize to concerned Americans who signed his anti-Card Check Forced Unionism petition

WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 29, 2009) – In a letter to former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, National Right to Work Committee President Mark Mix has asked the semi-retired politician to rescind his endorsement of New York Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, the liberal Republican nominee in the special election for New York’s 23rd Congressional District.

Support for Scozzafava has faded after grassroots citizens learned of her public support for the job-killing Card Check Forced Unionism Bill (H.1409), but Gingrich threw his weight behind her after organizing a petition and raising money to defeat passage of the toxic legislation she supports.

Passage of “Card Check” would mean workers would no longer be able to vote for or against union boss “representation” through a secret ballot election. Instead, the union bosses would be able to accost and intimidate workers one by one into signing so-called “union authorization cards.” If a majority of workers sign these cards, union officials could impose monopoly bargaining, forcing all workers, even those who wish to have no part of the union, to accept union representation.

“This is an outrage,” said National Right to Work President Mark Mix. “Newt Gingrich has collected signatures and raised funds from supporters of employee freedom, and now he is stabbing them in the back by supporting Big Labor Republican Dede Scozzafava.”

“Gingrich owes these Americans an apology, and he should immediately rescind his endorsement of Scozzafava so that Big Labor doesn’t have bipartisan cover in the House of Representatives to pass the Card Check Forced Unionism Bill,” continued Mix.

Recent polls have shown that 75% of Americans are opposed to legislation that strips workers of the right to a secret ballot in union elections.

In addition to the letter from Mark Mix, the National Right to Work Committee is reaching out to its 2.2 million members urging them to contact Gingrich and tell him to rescind his endorsement of Dede Scozzafava.

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The National Right to Work Committee is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, single-purpose citizens’ organization dedicated to combating compulsory unionism through an aggressive program designed to mobilize public opposition to compulsory unionism and, at the same time, enlist public support for Right to Work legislation. The Committee can be contacted toll-free at 1-800-325-7892. Its web address is www.NRTWC.org