Harry Reid AGAINST Small Business - For HR 800 - JOHN ENSIGN FOR SMALL BUSINESS

**UPDATE 04/26/07** **READ SENATOR JOHN ENSIGN'S REPLY TO ME - BOTTOM OF ARTICLE** I AM PROUD TO HAVE SENATOR JOHN ENSIGN SERVING THE STATE OF NEVADA ON THIS ISSUE H.R.800 Well, not only is Harry Reid going around the nation belittling our troops and the intelligence of our appointed generals at war, he has made it known that he is also against small business and the economy that strives because of the millions of small businesses that provide family style care and support for the millions of people they employ. The far left Democrats try to make us believe they are all for the “little guy”, but when push comes to shove, they do not vote that way. HR 800 which is VERY mis-titled the Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 800) is a PRO-UNION bill that passed the House of Representatives 241-185, and is now getting a hasty shove through the Senate with Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi swearing a swift passage. The Employee Free Choice Act will eliminate the private ballot voting system whenever Union organizers come in to an establishment and try to shove their capitalistic “help” down the throats of honest hard workers who don’t know any better. The private ballot system of voting is a sacred and integral part of true democracy. If HR800 is passed, the private ballot will be replaced by a “card check” system in which the voting employee would be required to sign his intended vote IN FRONT OF the Union organizer and/or his employer. Can you even imagine what that would do to boost the intimidation factor on BOTH sides of the fence? Without private ballots, it’s very difficult for many to vote their true hearts and minds if they fear repercussions from either side. If these kinds of laws are allowed to continue, we are headed back to the days of the bourgeois and the proletariat. Another down side to this bill is the fact that employers will lose their ability to run their own businesses. With passage of the Employee Free Choice Act, Agreement must be reached within 120 days of card check recognition, or a government arbiter will interject. Freedom for Unions to come in and take over will ruin a lot of honest employers and give Unions even more supreme power. I’ve NEVER seen any benefit to a Union myself. I’ve worked for small companies, and mega-corporations, and fortunately have never had to subject myself to the Mafioso style “policies” of a Union. My Daddy always taught me to apply for a job based upon my own merits and talents, “give a man a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay”, and be honest, diligent, and treat any company I worked for as if I owned it in regard to my work ethic. If I ever thought I was being treated un-fairly, or wasn’t being paid enough money, or felt I was victimized in any way…guess what…I no longer gave that employer the benefit of my labors. I found other employment. Unions are not needed. If nobody would go to work for a shady employer, then he/it would have to change their ways in order to stay afloat. It’s the workers that whine and cry, that want top dollar for bottom dollar efforts, and greedy executives at the top of the Unions that try so hard to prove the union validity. Enough money comes out of my paycheck already, I’m certainly NOT going to “pay dues” to someone for “protection”, or the “guarantee” that my employer will treat me fairly…and then when the whiners get their feelings hurt, be forced to HAVE NO PAYCHECK and go on strike and not work at all. I’m perfectly capable of determining if my employer is treating me fairly all by myself. If he’s not, I quit. Good and qualified workers are never without a job very long…valuable people will be valued accordingly by ethical companies. The NFIB (National Federation of Independent Business) does amazing things to promote small business in America, their owners and employees. NFIB is lobbying heavily AGAINST HR800. This is the letter they are faxing legislators for anyone that signs their petition against HR800. On behalf of our nation's small businesses, I ask you to please oppose H.R. 800, the so-called "Employee Free Choice Act." The House of Representatives recently passed this anti-business legislation, and we need the Senate to stand up for small business and defeat the bill. H.R. 800 is an effort by organized labor to seek union recognition outside of the long protected secret-ballot election. Employees would be stripped of their right to vote privately in union elections. No longer needing a ratifying vote, union representatives would only need to coerce a majority of employees to sign authorization cards. This "card check" petitioning would take place outside of a workplace and in front of union organizers and fellow employees who support unionization. Employees would be subject to intimidation, misinformation, and other union tactics that would ultimately pressure them into signing authorization cards. We prefer to refer to it as the "Employee NO Choice Act." Additionally, H.R. 800 would force an employer to recognize the first contract offered by a union. Agreement must be reached within 120 days of card check recognition, or a government arbiter will interject. Small-business owners would no longer set the wage and benefit terms for their workforce. Instead, a government official would come in to their place of business and set the terms for them. This bill represents a direct threat to the ability of small business to create jobs and grow the economy. Please stand up for small business and vote against "Card Check" legislation. Well, as I do whenever I’m concerned in my community about what the people are doing in Washington that my tax dollars pay their salaries for, I write to them and voice my concerns. That’s also something my Daddy taught me. We vote for them, and they are to go to Washington and do what the constituents in their respective districts wish for them to do. That is why we have a Congress, so that a few people can run this country based upon the wishes of the mass populous. Well, it’s not that way any longer. They don’t care what the people want. They do as they wish, and our country is suffering for it. Sadly to say, Harry Reid is my senator, from Nevada. Below, is his response to my concern about HR800, and even with the impeccable talent that politicians have to vaguely say what they think you want to hear…I can tell from his response that Harry Reid’s vote on HR800 will be a devastating YES. At least I can vote to remove him from office when his turn is up again, with a resounding NO. Dear Mrs. XXXX: Thank you for contacting me about the Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 800). I appreciate hearing from you. As you know, H.R. 800 would amend the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to allow employees to freely choose whether to form unions by signing cards authorizing unionization. The bill would also provide mediation for first contract disputes and establish stronger penalties. Representative George Miller (D-CA) introduced H.R. 800 on February 5, 2007, and was passed by the House of Representatives by a vote of 241 - 185. Similar legislation (S. 1041) has been introduced by Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and currently awaits consideration before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Please be assured that I noted your concerns with H.R. 800 and I will keep your thoughts in mind should similar legislation be considered in the Senate. Again, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. For more information about my work for Nevada, my role in the United States Senate Leadership, or to subscribe to regular e-mail updates on the issues that interest you, please visit my Web site at http://reid.senate.gov. I look forward to hearing from you in the near future. My best wishes to you. Sincerely, HARRY REID United States Senator ***UPDATE 04/26/07 - SEE THE DIFFERENCE!!! SENATOR JOHN ENSIGN'S REPLY TO ME ON THIS ISSUE BELOW*** HE KNOCKS HARRY REID COMPLETELY OUT OF THE WATER :) This is an official communication from the Office of Senator John Ensign. Any tampering or alteration of this communication is prohibited and may result in criminal investigation or prosecution. April 26, 2007 Mrs. Malinda XXXX XXXX XXXX XX, XXXXXX, XX XXXXX-XXXX. (I’m omitting my last name and address). Dear Mrs. XXXX: Thank you for contacting me about the Employee Free Choice Act. I value the opinions of every Nevadan and am always grateful to those who take the time to inform me of their views. This deceptively titled act would revoke the right of workers to cast secret-ballots in elections when voting on whether to form a union. Workers could now be unionized by the practice known as "card check," which would make employees cast their vote publicly by signing cards that would be allowed to count as votes in place of a secretly cast ballot. This practice would allow for unionization as soon as a majority of employees give consent, thus eliminating the voice of a significant percentage of the employees. Not only is card check completely undemocratic, but it would trample the rights of employees. The United States has a rich tradition of Americans choosing their elected representatives by secret ballot in free and fair elections, something I have worked throughout my career to protect. Ensuring that employees maintain the right to secret-ballot elections protects those who would choose to not unionize from undue peer pressure, public scrutiny, coercion, and possible retaliation. I fully believe that democracy in the workplace should be maintained. In order to do so Congress must uphold its decision to amend the National Labor Relations Act in 1947, which expressly mandated that workers be given the right to a secret ballot. For 70 years, both the National Labor Relations Board, which oversees unions, and the Supreme Court have upheld the law and the rights of workers by recognizing that secret-ballot elections are the most satisfactory way to establish a union. Public support for the secret ballot for union representation is strong and an overwhelming number of union employees agree that a workers' vote to organize should remain private. Allowing the Employee Free Choice Act to be passed into law would result in a dictatorial rule over laborers and their civil rights. I strongly support the secret-ballot election and I will steadfastly oppose any measure which will result in weakening of the guaranteed rights of employees to participate in free and fair elections. This measure passed the House on March 1, 2007 by a vote of 241-185 and it will soon come before the Senate. Although I am not a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, which has jurisdiction over these matters, I assure you I will track this issue closely as the Senate begins to debate the protection of workers' rights. Again, thank you for your comments on this matter. I appreciate those who take the time to make their voices heard. I will be sure to keep your views in mind should this matter come before the Senate. Once again, thank you for contacting me on this very important issue. Should you have any other questions or comments or would like to contact me in the future regarding another issue, please do not hesitate to either write or e-mail me via my website at http://ensign.senate.gov. Sincerely, JOHN ENSIGN United States Senator JE/u1 Your thoughts and opinions are important. Unfortunately, any replies to this e-mail will not be received and processed. If you want to contact Senator Ensign electronically again please visit: http://ensign.senate.gov/forms/email_form.cfm We respect your online time and privacy. If you have any questions about our online privacy statement, please visit Senator Ensign's website http://ensign.senate.gov/ and read our privacy policy at the bottom of the page.