Message to CDW Members

CDW Members:

CDW is continuing to bang the drum in opposition to EFCA. Our most recent print ad is being run in today’s edition of USA Today. You can see the ad here.

While EFCA seems to have slipped off the radar screens here in Washington, it is crucial that we not allow this legislation---or alternative versions of the bill---to gain any traction that could result in their passage by either house of Congress.

Recently, Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) said, regarding the Employee Free Choice Act, "I think there's a lot of negotiation that's going on about card-check." While Senator McCaskill acknowledged the possibility that card-check itself may be dead, her comments about ongoing negotiations on this issue are indicative of Big Labor’s continued efforts to strike a deal to move some version of EFCA. You can read the entire McCaskill article here.

Legislative Conferences

As most of our trade associations are moving into legislative fly-in season, we are strongly encouraging everyone to keep EFCA at the top of your organization’s list of legislative priorities.

And, if possible, please feel free to share any relevant intel on this topic, that is picked up during Hill visits when your members are in town.

Lobbying Committee

For those organizations with a DC-area presence, CDW’s Lobbying Committee will be meeting again at 11:00 am on Thursday, May 6. If you’d like to attend this meeting, please contact Rob Green (greenr@nrf.com) for more information.

Finally, since CDW was outspoken in our opposition to Craig Becker’s nomination to the NLRB, I wanted to share this Wall Street Journal story about the race to succeed Andy Stern at the SEIU. It is telling that one of the candidates to be Stern’s successor, Anna Burger, lays out a strategy that includes an effort to “push a labor-friendly majority on the NLRB.” Big Labor knows that they’re running out of time to pass their #1 priority, EFCA, so their fall back plan includes using the regulatory process to circumvent Congress. You can read the story here.

As always, thanks for all of your efforts to date, and keep up the good work.

Thanks,

Brian

New Safety Bulletin

There is a new safety bulletin focusing on 'Understanding Pipelayer Dynamics in Slope Applications' available at www.safety.cat.com.

WSJ Article: Crony Contracts

Crony Contracts

Want federal business? Better be a union shop.

There's almost a direct correlation these days between the Obama Administration's complaints about "special interests" and its own fealty to such interests. Consider its latest decree that federal contractors must be union shops....

Click here to read the entire article.

Another New CDW Ad

First, CDW has launched a new print ad this week. This ad ran on Thursday, March 25, in Roll Call and Politico, and will run the first week in April in USA Today.

Now that Congress and the White House have completed their work on health care reform, CDW wants to make sure that any momentum from their victory does not lead them to think that it would be a good idea to pivot to EFCA, or some EFCA alternative.

Becker Nomination

Senator Tom Harkin has stated that President Obama will use a recess appoint to seat Craig Becker on the National Labor Relations Board, and AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka has echoed this sentiment.

As you recall, Mr. Becker’s nomination received bi-partisan opposition during Senate debate in February, and his nomination failed to be approved by the Senate. CDW has once again opposed Mr. Becker’s nomination, and you can see our letter here.

For those of you wondering about Mr. Becker’s connection to CDW’s efforts to defeat EFCA and all related proposals, you’ll be interested in this quote from Stewart Acuff of the Utility Workers Union of America:

“If we aren't able to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, we will work with President Obama and Vice President Biden and their appointees to theNational Labor Relations Board to change the rules governing forming a union through administrative action.... " Link to article is here

Thank you for your continued efforts to defeat the Employee Free Choice Act.