False Front Specialist
The website unionfacts.com is a false front, or AstroTurf organization that refuses to reveal its funding. Their website is essentially a web of lies, not even misrepresentations, simply lies about unions. All the old stereotypes persist on this site. They have everything except a clip from Goodfellas. This is one of the many false fronts run by the lobbyist Rick Berman who dislikes labor standards, food safety, restrictions on cigarette smoke, and pretty much anything that is good for normal people. Bergman and his unethical wife make many millions from his false fronts.
The Union Facts website seems to ossilate between hardline propaganda and pure fantasy. Its hard to find anything true on the site. It would be considered a humor site….much like the Onion, except its intended to look real. Several associates and I have spend over an hour reading, sharing and laughing at this ridiculous site. It is a site that should be shared with others. It’s that stupid.
What Americans Don’t Appreciate About Unions
Americans, particularly, those below 50 years of age, are by and large totally ignorant of the place unions have had in improving working conditions. Whenever we hear a comment about how extreme unions were in terms of their demands, we always ask “compared to what?” For instance, did unions ever ask for compensation which is 500x what most workers make? Did the unions ever bleed out pensions funds the way management has on routine occasion? Has a union ever pulled out $450 million in compensation from a hospital system as executives have done several times over? No union, in the history can approach the the abuse of power, greed and corruption that is on display by executives and CEOs on a daily basis. This present financial crisis was not caused by union members — trillions in losses were primarily caused by CEOs of the financial industry. Lets observe….how many trillions of losses have been caused by union “bosses” again? What if the financial industry had been unionized? Could it have helped reduce the excesses that occurred? Could they have helped serve as a counterbalance against excessive concentrations of power by financial executives? We think its very possible they could have.
Its Time to Start Blaming Unions for the Financial Crisis
The old story, brilliantly disseminated by pro-business groups, was that unions caused manufacturing jobs to go overseas because they were so unreasonable (unlike Nicaraguan sweat shops where workers can be beaten and raped by guards, and heavy metals from industrial waste can be dumped into their shanty town drinking water). Yes, with Nike paying workers 9 cents for a shirt that sold for $35 in the US, foreign workers did turn out to be a lot more “reasonable.” With the powerful propaganda apparatus as their disposal, why hasn’t Wall Street done a better job of laying the blame for the financial crisis on the doorstep of those evil unions. The fact that unions don’t by in large operate in finance, should not stop the industry and unionfacts.com from taking a shot at it. I am sure if they were to pay Rick Berman say $500,000, he would be happy to create a website entitled unionscausedthecrash.com.
The Video Exxon, GM, Bechtel and Wall Mart Don’t Want You To See
This is a good video which actually talks about some of the things that unions brought to workers. Of course, its not approved by “unionfacts.com.” Note to unionfacts, if you refuse to declare who your funding sources are, your credibility evaporates. If you site is created by a lobbyist, your credibility goes into negative digits.
Explanation of Union Activities on The Real News Network
References
A full description of union facts is listed here.
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Center_for_Union_Facts
