Business groups press Hagan to oppose union 'card check’
When U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan was in the state Senate, the appellation “business-friendly” was applied to the Greensboro Democrat with regularity. A lawyer with a banking background, she fit the mold.
That’s one of the many reasons business groups are turning up the pressure on Hagan for what might be one of the great congressional food fights now that the stimulus bill is out of the way: The Employee Free Choice Act — aka the “card check” bill.
The measure would allow workers to unionize by having a majority of them sign a union card rather than requiring a secret ballot election, as is the case now.
It’s opposed by the state’s business groups, who hope Hagan’s business-friendly roots win out, despite her support for the bill during the campaign.
“We’re trying to educate Sen. Hagan, and there’s no question we’re trying to demonstrate a grass-roots opposition to this bill in North Carolina,” said Dallas Woodhouse, who leads the North Carolina chapter of Americans for Prosperity.
A rally in Greensboro on Monday and a second one in Raleigh today are planned to focus attention on Hagan.
“Sen. Hagan has shown herself to be a moderate, to be reasonable,” Woodhouse said. And since North Carolina is a right-to-work state and the least unionized state in the nation, he said, there’s a certain zeitgeist running against the pro-union legislation here.
“We have not solely focused on Sen. Hagan,” said Andy Ellen, general counsel to the N.C. Retail Merchants Association and an organizer of the “North Carolinians to Preserve Employee Choice” group, which opposes the card-check bill. “We have continuously sent correspondence to the entire delegation.”
Still, Hagan is of particular interest since it was the Senate that blocked the card-check bill in 2007. But after the 2008 election, the Senate is more firmly in Democratic hands in part because Hagan replaced Elizabeth Dole, a Republican who was firmly against the measure. Also worth noting: Labor unions gave Hagan more than $250,000 in support in her bid to unseat Dole.
On the other side of the issue, a local group headed by the NAACP and religious leaders held a news conference to give Rep. Howard Coble and Sen. Richard Burr a “Hypocrite Award” and accused both Republicans of wrongly invoking the civil rights movement in their opposition of the legislation.
As for Hagan, she doesn’t seem to be shifting her stance. Hagan spokesman Dave Hoffman said that she still supports the measure after meeting with groups on both sides.
“The Employee Free Choice Act simply allows employees, not the employers, to decide if and how they would like to organize at their workplace,” Hoffman said. “Sen. Hagan supports EFCA as a way to level the playing field for families, and she continues to support the measure that was voted on last Congress.
She will also push for reasonable changes to the National Labor Relations Act, such as modifications to bring the procedures for decertifications in line with the process for union certifications, in order to maintain a level playing field.”
Stimulus
Speaking of Hagan, I reported in this space last week about her effort to cap the pay for CEOs whose companies got bailout funds from the federal government. She backed an amendment to the economic stimulus bill.
That provision, which would have capped CEO salaries at $400,000 a year, did not survive conference committee. However, according to several
Washington-based outlets, restrictions on executive compensation are included. In particular, those restrictions cap bonuses and severance packages for top employees.
Local votes on the stimulus bill:
* In the House, Reps. Brad Miller and Mel Watt voted for the bill; Reps. Howard Coble and Virginia Foxx voted against.
* In the Senate, Hagan voted for the bill, Sen. Richard Burr, a Republican, voted against.
Worth noting
* With Democratic Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Burr has formed the new Senate Caucus on WMD Terrorism. According to a news release, it will “highlight the challenges posed by terrorist groups acquiring nuclear, biological and chemical weapons and provide a forum for the discussion of appropriate policy responses to prevent, prepare for, mitigate and respond to such attacks.”
* Burr has introduced a bill that he says will cut down on the number of high school dropouts. According to a summary from his office, the bill would help create programs to offer “work-based and experiential learning” as well as systems to identify and teach kids who are falling behind.
* Foxx filed a bill to end the application of federal income tax to unemployment benefits. “Taxing the unemployed does nothing to spur economic recovery,” Foxx said in a news release.
Contact Mark Binker at (919) 832-5549 or markbinker@news-record.com
HOW TO REACH YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
Senate
* Sen. Richard Burr:
217 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-3154
burr.senate.gov
* Sen. Kay Hagan:
B40A Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-6342
hagan.senate.gov
House
* Rep. Howard Coble (6th District):
2468 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-3065
coble.house.gov
* Rep. Virginia Foxx (5th District):
1230 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-2071
foxx.house.gov
* Rep. Brad Miller (13th District):
1127 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-3032
bradmiller.house.gov
* Rep. Mel Watt (12th District):
2304 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-1510
watt.house.gov
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