Video: Cheney Thinks Supporting Unions Means Lying About Employee Free Choice

Continuing with his (as Alan Colmes calls it) “Save My Legacy” tour, Dick Cheney visited Your World with Neil Cavuto yesterday. Cheney insisted he is not anti-union, citing an earlier membership in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. But in his next breath, Cheney falsely claimed the Employee Free Choice Act would eliminate secret ballots “in terms of the question of organizing unions.” Then Cheney went on to praise Ronald Reagan’s firing of every striking air traffic controller in 1981. I’d hate to know what Cheney’s version of anti-union looks like.

During the second of a two-part interview on Your World, Cheney said, “I’m not anti-labor union. I carried a ticket for six years in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in my youth… I do think the legislation that the administration’s supporting and that the unions are pushing hard, the so called ‘card check’ law would do away with the secret ballot in terms of the question of organizing unions. I think it would be a huge mistake.”

As The Christian Science Monitor reported (H/T Media Matters), the Employee Free Choice Act does not “do away with the secret ballot.” It gives workers a choice of forming a union through majority sign-up (“card check”) or an election by secret ballot.

Cavuto did not challenge Cheney’s assertion but moved on to another question. “Jack Welch said they would be deleterious to our economic recovery. Do you agree?”

Cheney answered, “I always felt that what Ronald Reagan did back in 1981… when he was very tough with the air traffic controllers was a good solid move.”

Good solid move? As Politico reports, Reagan fired 11,000 striking air traffic controllers. He also imposed a lifetime ban on rehiring the strikers. In October 1981, the Federal Labor Relations Authority decertified their union.

It’s hard to think of anything more anti-union than firing 11,000 striking workers, decertifying their union and banning them from behing rehired. But, predictably, Cavuto didn’t question Cheney’s assertion.

(Also on News Hounds)

Nofel Izz

Cheeney is just one of these scumbags on the government, I really think he should retire now and give us all a big break from his big mouth.

johnsalz

Cheney, WHO?!

texasconservative

Placing your name on a card that can be openly read by your employer, a Union organizer or a fellow worker places that person under the heavy threat of coercion from all sides. No American worker should ever be put under that type of burden.
Maintaining the secret ballot ensures that no individual can be singled out and made to do something they do not personally back.
The "free choice act", intentionally puts the worker under that burden of coercion, a tactic the Unions have trying for years to be made legal! This bill also allows just 30% of the employees sign the cards to start negotiations? That's just 30% of the workforce telling the other 70% that they have no say-so in the matter?!! Nothing less than 51% of the workforce agreeing to be represented by a Union should be allowed before, a secret ballot vote by all in that workforce with a majority of 51% agreeing should be permitted.
The right of secret ballot, from the beginning to the end, ensures that no-one is intimidated into doing anything they are not in favor of.