Union Strategy to Join Progressives & Environmentalists Will Backfire

Over the Labor Day holiday, Big Labor once again demonstrated how desperate it is to rebuild its diminishing membership rolls. Despite the fact the tactics they have been utilizing for the last 20 years are not working, they keep on using them. As Albert Einstein once said, “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” The union membership results speak for themselves as presented in a recent article by James Sherk of the Heritage Foundation:

Union Membership Dropped By 398,000 In 2012, Leaving Membership At Post-WWII Low Of 11.3 Percent:

“While employers added almost 2 million net new jobs in 2012, unions lost 398,000 members … Union density in the American workplace fell to another new post–world war ii low of 11.3 percent in 2012. Union Manufacturing Employment Fell 4.7 Percent From 2010 To 2012, While During Same Period Non-Union Manufacturing Employment Grew By 6.5 Percent.”

“On net, however, all of that hiring took place in non-union firms.  Between 2010 and 2012, non-union manufacturing employment expanded by 6.5 percent.  At the same time, unionized manufacturing employment continued to fall, dropping another 4.7 percent.”

(James Sherk, “Labor Unions: Declining Membership Shows Labor Laws Need Modernizing,” The Heritage Foundation, 1/23/13)

One would think by now some type of lesson would have been learned and Big Labor would change its strategy. However, despite the declining membership numbers and paltry organization results, Big Labor continues to utilize its “outdated” Corporate Campaign tactics of intimidation and coercion to attain its goals, as described in The Devil at Our Doorstep. It also continues to rely on a phony President and the Rogue NLRB to hand it Card Check through Regulation vs. Legislation. Additionally, when the Corporate Campaign tactics fail, and they face actual ‘Secret Ballot Elections,” Big Labor resorts to intimidation and bribery to win these said elections, further eroding its credibility in the eyes of the working public.

Despite the blaring membership facts, Big Labor returned to these obsolete tactics over the Labor Day holiday. The infamous SEIU attempted to orchestrate a national “Fight for Fifteen” campaign, a disguised Living Wage Argument against fast food restaurants and other companies in the retail/service business with minimal success. Additionally, is the SEIU is in the midst of a Worker Center Scheme, attempting to bypass the National Labor Relations Act as discussed in  Promises, Promises: Desperate Unions Grow Weary of Phony Distractions.

Meanwhile the AFL-CIO teamed up with the Interfaith Workers Justice group out of Chicago, and whose tactics are immortalized in both of my books (see Proselytizing for Unions: AFL-CIO Announces Holiday ‘Labor and Faith’ Services). They are “immortalized” because one of its own clergy members readThe Devil at My Doorstep, met with me, apologized and wrote a letter of recommendation for me and my company which is featured in the new book. Obviously the association between the AFL-CIO and Interfaith Workers Justice and its holiday “Labor from the Pulpit” tactic has not worked, as few churches outside of Chicago and Boston have joined the program. Additionally, very little has been mentioned in the mainstream media, which is undeniably pro-union, pro-left wing and supported by George Soros.

If Big Labor bosses were running corporations where they were held accountable to investors and banks, they would be thrown out on their ears. However, the rank and file membership in unions do not have that type leverage or power. They have to put up with the continued lack of attention to membership needs as well as Underfunded Pensions and health care programs while the Big Labor bosses continue to use membership dues for failing membership campaigns and political foolishness.

2009 Moody’s Report Found That, Based On Examination Of 125 Multi-employer Plans, Their Asset-To-Liability Level Had Declined From 77 Percent To 56 Percent:

“In 2009, Moody’s came out with a report based on about 125 multi-employer plans, and concluded that their overall asset-to-liability level declined from an already disturbing 77 percent in 2007 to 56 percent in 2008, the year of the stock market collapse.  Of the roughly dozen affiliates of the Carpenters union, only one even exceeded 70 percent.  Construction industry plans were only about 60 percent funded.  Transportation industry plans, typically sponsored by the Teamsters or the Machinists, averaged slightly below 60 percent.” (Carl Horowitz, “New Reports Show Severe Shortfalls In Multi-employer Union Pensions,” National Legal And Policy Center, 7/2/13) At The Same Time, Unions Bosses Spent Billions On Lobbying & Politics. GAO Concluded That By 2017 Union Pension Fund Insolvencies Would More Than Double.

When will the Big Labor Gasping Dinosaurs realize their organizations will collapse (see The Labor Movement in Full Collapse) unless they learn to compete with integrity and honesty in the free market system? When will they start treating their members like today’s successful businesses treat their employees? They may not be as “big” as they once were, or enjoy the financial and political clout they now attempt to possess, but they would be creating meaningful support and services for current members and potentially those who work for businesses that have employees who might benefit from being unionized. If they would only give up their thirst for power and control they could be instrumental in revitalizing the work place and ultimately Restoring America’s Prosperity. Until Big Labor eliminates senseless campaigns, like those utilized this Labor Day holiday, union members will continue to vote with their feet.

David A. Bego is the President and CEO of EMS, an industry leader in the field of environmental workplace maintenance, employing nearly 5000 workers in thirty-three states. Bego is the author of “The Devil at My Doorstep,” as well as the just released sequel, “The Devil at Our Doorstep,” based on his experiences fighting back against one of the most powerful unions in existence today.