George Orwell may have created the concept of doublethink, but modern day union activists and their attendant politicians have taken the concept to a new level. Take for example the Employee Free Choice Act.
The power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them . . . . To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just so long as it is needed, to deny the existence of objective reality and all the while to take account of the reality which one denies — all this is indispensably necessary.For a number of years now union membership has been dramatically shrinking - the only exception being government sector unions. In an attempt to staunch the bleeding and even recoup losses in the private sector, unions and their allies cooked up a scheme that among other things leaves employees during a union organization drive vulnerable to the type of peer pressure and coercion that union organizers are famous for. That scheme of course, is the Employee Free Choice Act.
The major provision of the act is the implementation of card check unionization. In other words, if employees wanted union representation they would simply fill out a card. The signed cards would then be sent to the National Labor Relations Board and if the cards represented a majority of the employees - voilà union.
Union activists argue that you can join other organizations and political parties by filling out a card, why not unions?
The splashy debate is over the Employee Free Choice Act (“card check”), whose premise is this: You can join the NRA by signing a card. You can join the Republican, Democratic or Green party by signing a card. Why on earth can’t you join a union by signing a card?Mr. Bundy is the political and legislative director for the public sector union AFSCME. It's no surprise that he'd be all for a scheme that makes unionization easier and employees more susceptible to coercion and union thuggery.
Employers trot out the “secret ballot” argument, which would maybe have some resonance were it not for the fact that during union-election campaigns, employers like Wal-Mart pull out all the stops to make the elections as expensive, divisive, long and tough on workers as possible.
Currently, employers have the right to demand a secret ballot. Employees have the right to make a decision regarding their personal financial future privately without the scrutiny of their employers, fellow workers, or union organizers. That's free choice and unions know it.
Mr. Bundy's specious argument that you can join the NRA, or a political party is simply an invalid comparison. Joining a political party or political activist organization doesn't involve your immediate financial future. Those organizations lobby congress and legislatures, they don't set terms and conditions for your employment. Oh yeah... they also don't require you to pay dues for their "services."
For those of us who believe in the free market, forcing employees to serve two masters is an anathema. What is free about having everyone from managers, to fellow employees, to union organizers know how you voted on unionization? What's wrong with unions having to convince employees that bargaining on their behalf is in their best interest? What's wrong with employers making their case against unionization of their businesses?
The very fact that union membership in the private sector has been on the decline for over a decade should tell you that employees are choosing not to work for two masters. It should also tell you that employers are recognizing the benefits of taking good care of their employees.
You'd think that unions would cheer the improved treatment of workers that is resulting in their obsolescence. Of course unions abandoned their altruistic motivations some time ago and now exist simply to sustain their own existence. Unfortunately, that's often the case with organizations of any stripe whose purpose is based on an issue that can be resolved. They need the issue that gave rise to their organization in order to justify their continued existence.
All of which brings us to Martin Heinrich. The former city councilor come candidate for congress has endorsed the Employee Free to be Pressured by Unions Act (read and watch it here) - an act co-sponsored by the candidate for continuous change, Barrack "The Messiah" Obama. Should the two men be sent to Washington, we all better get used to doublethink - freedom that is tyranny and tyranny that is freedom.
