Comments on: A Recruiting Strategy to Counter the Threat of Unions and the EFCA http://www.ere.net/2009/01/26/a-recruiting-strategy-to-counter-the-threat-of-unions-and-the-efca/ Recruiting News, Recruiting Events, Recruiting Community, Social Recruiting Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:35:23 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: jessica lee http://www.ere.net/2009/01/26/a-recruiting-strategy-to-counter-the-threat-of-unions-and-the-efca/comment-page-1/#comment-10282 jessica lee Wed, 28 Jan 2009 17:03:05 +0000 http://www.ere.net/?p=5896#comment-10282 i think this is a great, positive, pro-active approach to combating organizing efforts, and addressing the EFCA. in this spirit, i think employers should also consider how are they giving their employees a voice. organizing campaigns arise when people are disgruntled and frustrated and by in large, a lot of this has to do with an utter lack of communication or really poor communication. by making sure your staff have a voice and being keenly attuned + what you write about, i think it could make a heckuva difference. thanks for writing about the issue from this angle. i think this is a great, positive, pro-active approach to combating organizing efforts, and addressing the EFCA. in this spirit, i think employers should also consider how are they giving their employees a voice. organizing campaigns arise when people are disgruntled and frustrated and by in large, a lot of this has to do with an utter lack of communication or really poor communication. by making sure your staff have a voice and being keenly attuned + what you write about, i think it could make a heckuva difference. thanks for writing about the issue from this angle.

]]> By: Keith Halperin http://www.ere.net/2009/01/26/a-recruiting-strategy-to-counter-the-threat-of-unions-and-the-efca/comment-page-1/#comment-10268 Keith Halperin Tue, 27 Jan 2009 20:25:06 +0000 http://www.ere.net/?p=5896#comment-10268 As I mentioned in my response to Jessica Lee's recent ERE article, I view the possible passage of EFCA and other pro-worker legislation as a beginning of the rollback of the tide of harmful pro-business legislation over the past quarter century, during which we have seen the stagnation of wages and earning power for ordinary Americans, the loss of health and pension benefits to additional millions, and a great increase in the economic inequality of the American Economy. Whatever problems may have been caused by organizations representing individuals typically earning under $50,000 and working in corporations, they pale in comparison with the losses generated by the organizations representing those typically earning more than $200,000 per year and running the corporations- look where decades of a self-regulating, winner-take-all economic policy have gotten us. Does anyone actually believe that we would now have the modest wage-and-hour, health-and-safety, and anti-discrimination policies we possess through the actions of the “free market”? If you do, I have a nice international orange suspension bridge to sell- bargain price. The market is a great tool for creating wealth, but not so good at making sure everyone has enough or is treated fairly. I personally look forward to supporting a government that works toward making sure no one gets left behind. IMHO, it all comes down to power- “countervailing power”: Balancing of the market power of one group by that of another group. For example, market power of manufacturers may be balanced by the market power of retailers, and vice versa. Concept of countervailing power was proposed by the US economist John Kenneth Galbraith (1908-2006) in his 1952 book 'American Capitalism.' I interpret this to mean that if we want to avoid any groups (business, labor, government, churches, organized crime, etc.) from becoming too powerful, we need other powerful groups competing against them, and that we all benefit from this balanced competition. We’re now in the painful process of seeing what happens when this isn’t the case. Keith Halperin, Former Member, SMWIA Local #359, Tucson, AZ Son of NEA Chapter President, Portales, NM Nephew of UFT Organizer, NYC, NY As I mentioned in my response to Jessica Lee’s recent ERE article, I view the possible passage of EFCA and other pro-worker legislation as a beginning of the rollback of the tide of harmful pro-business legislation over the past quarter century, during which we have seen the stagnation of wages and earning power for ordinary Americans, the loss of health and pension benefits to additional millions, and a great increase in the economic inequality of the American Economy. Whatever problems may have been caused by organizations representing individuals typically earning under $50,000 and working in corporations, they pale in comparison with the losses generated by the organizations representing those typically earning more than $200,000 per year and running the corporations- look where decades of a self-regulating, winner-take-all economic policy have gotten us. Does anyone actually believe that we would now have the modest wage-and-hour, health-and-safety, and anti-discrimination policies we possess through the actions of the “free market”? If you do, I have a nice international orange suspension bridge to sell- bargain price. The market is a great tool for creating wealth, but not so good at making sure everyone has enough or is treated fairly. I personally look forward to supporting a government that works toward making sure no one gets left behind.

IMHO, it all comes down to power- “countervailing power”:
Balancing of the market power of one group by that of another group. For example, market power of manufacturers may be balanced by the market power of retailers, and vice versa. Concept of countervailing power was proposed by the US economist John Kenneth Galbraith (1908-2006) in his 1952 book ‘American Capitalism.’

I interpret this to mean that if we want to avoid any groups (business, labor, government, churches, organized crime, etc.) from becoming too powerful, we need other powerful groups competing against them, and that we all benefit from this balanced competition. We’re now in the painful process of seeing what happens when this isn’t the case.

Keith Halperin,

Former Member, SMWIA Local #359, Tucson, AZ
Son of NEA Chapter President, Portales, NM
Nephew of UFT Organizer, NYC, NY

]]> By: Laurie Ruettimann http://www.ere.net/2009/01/26/a-recruiting-strategy-to-counter-the-threat-of-unions-and-the-efca/comment-page-1/#comment-10247 Laurie Ruettimann Mon, 26 Jan 2009 18:04:52 +0000 http://www.ere.net/?p=5896#comment-10247 Yeah, let's put time and energy into hiring independent employees who just happen to dislike unions. Yup, let's hire people like us: those who believe in the father-knows-best, paternalistic tendencies of companies. * Let's not hire employees who challenge the status quo and push our organization to new heights. We'll succeed by avoiding friction! * Why don't we avoid hiring employees who disagree with us and stop trying to hire people who may otherwise compensate for our intellectual deficits? * Let's craft an employee workforce that thinks a certain way, acts a certain way, and holds specific beliefs that are parallel to our sacred values. Yup, Dr. Sullivan, you nailed it. Yeah, let’s put time and energy into hiring independent employees who just happen to dislike unions. Yup, let’s hire people like us: those who believe in the father-knows-best, paternalistic tendencies of companies.

* Let’s not hire employees who challenge the status quo and push our organization to new heights. We’ll succeed by avoiding friction!

* Why don’t we avoid hiring employees who disagree with us and stop trying to hire people who may otherwise compensate for our intellectual deficits?

* Let’s craft an employee workforce that thinks a certain way, acts a certain way, and holds specific beliefs that are parallel to our sacred values.

Yup, Dr. Sullivan, you nailed it.

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