Labor

The United Auto Workers (UAW) union tapped former Michigan Gov. James Blanchard (D) as their representative to the newly-constituted Chrysler.

The union will ask Blanchard, a former Democratic governor and congressman, to represent its 55 percent stake in the new Chrysler Group, the Detroit News reported Thursday.

The move will put a solidly political figure in a major position of influence over the new GM -- but acting at the behest of the union, not anyone else.

"In his public and private sector roles, Blanchard has wide experience in the auto industry, international trade and related issues," the UAW said.

Specifically, Blanchard will help manage the union's Voluntary Employees' Beneficiary Association (VEBA) retirement account, which owns the 55 percent stake in New Chrysler.

Interestingly, Blanchard was also a figure in the Michael Moore "Roger & Me," which took aim at the effect of the auto industry (in this case, General Motors) in Flint, Mich.

The 9.4 percent unemployment rate is "unacceptably high," Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said Friday.

After the economy shed another 345,000 jobs in May, Solis wouldn't say how high she expects the rate to go, only promising to accelerate the payout of stimulus funds.

"It's an unacceptably high number for unemployment," Solis said on MSNBC. "It continues to grow. And I think that, yes, we have to be vigilant, as the vice president knows and all of us, that we need to look at how we prepare for the future, and that is by really investing in new technologies and careers."

She refused to speculate on how high the unemployment rate could go, after anchor Andrea Mitchell referenced some economists' projection of a 10.2 percent peak in unemployment.

"That is not a projection that I'm prepared to make," Solis said.

The Labor secretary said that a sped-up deployment of stimulus funds would help alleviate economic hardship this month.

Conservatives are using the bankruptcy of General Motors to pounce on organized labor, complaining that union-favored policies led to GM and other businesses' struggles.

House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) suggested Wednesday that the lack of so-called "right-to-work" laws in Michigan, which would allow employees to join a workplace without having to join or pay dues to a union, led in part to GM's downfall.

"I think all of us can look at the model in Detroit and understand what was wrong, and structurally compare that to the other manufacturers in the right-to-work states and see what we needed to do," he said during an appearance on CNBC.

Cantor also echoed concerns by some other Republican lawmakers that the Obama administration had favored union interests over bondholders in its bailout agreement with GM.

"There has been a downright suspension of the law," Cantor complained about the bondholders' treatment.

Another interest group opposed to the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), lambasted union contracts as having forced the financial peril of GM and Chrysler before executives from those companies appear on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.

"The reality is that union boss demands on the automotive companies resulted in contracts with wage and benefit commitments that could not be met and now workers suffer as massive layoffs ensue," Katie Packer, executive director of the Workforce Fairness Institute (WFI) said in a statement.

The bankruptcy of General Motors means consumers should "buy American" when purchasing a new car, a Michigan lawmaker said Monday.

"A role that every American can play in this process is to renew their support of our domestic auto industry by purchasing an American car if they are in the market for a new vehicle," Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.) reacted to GM's filing Monday. "We are all in this together and we must pull together toward a brighter future."

The notion of buying American has long been a tenet of popular sentiment in the Midwest, where a number of unions and supportive lawmakers have fought against some trade agreements that could threaten the weakened automakers.

"The federal government as the majority shareholder in the new GM needs to ensure that the American tax dollars which are being used to fund this bankruptcy are focused on protecting American jobs," Miller continued. "The goal must be to ensure that this money is not used to continue the trend of outsourcing, but instead invest in American manufacturing and American workers."

Miller, like other Michigan lawmakers on Monday, lamented GM's bankruptcy filing, adding her "heart breaks for everyone impacted."

The United Auto Workers (UAW) has done its job to resuscitate General Motors, the union's president claimed Monday.

UAW President Ron Gettelfinger acknowledged that his organization had taken a hit in renegotiating its contract with GM, but said he expected the company to rebound with minimal government interference.

"We have stepped up to the plate," Gettelfinger said during an appearance on the Fox Business Network. "We believe we've done what we think was necessary to help this company."

The union leader said that the government would benefit from getting involved in GM while the automaker was at its weakest point, as well.

"I think you'll see the government step back," he said on CNBC. "And I do believe this: By beginning this with the floor, and then moving forward -- I think it's going to rebound quicker than what most people would expect. Unless the whole country collapses, I think you'll see that."

Gettelfinger maintained that the UAW would be on board with whatever products GM plans in the future, but dismissed critics who've asserted unions are in part to blame for GM and Chrysler's financial woes.

"Are the people that are pointing fingers at the UAW also giving us credit for what's going on at Ford Motor Company?" he asked. "There's enough finger-pointing been going on the past, it's time to move forward."

The two interviews can be seen in full after the jump. Read more...

Liberal activists will gather this week at Washington, D.C.'s Omni Shoreham hotel this week for a conference to organize support for key Obama administration initiatives.

The "America's Future Now" conference (formerly the "Take Back America" conference) will play host to administration members, lawmakers, union leaders, and others to discuss healthcare reform, energy and environmental legislation, and the economic recovery -- among other issues.

Leaders of groups will join forces Monday to also announce their plans to push for the healthcare reform package in Congress. There will also be a straw poll for the first time to see where participants stand on a variety of issues.

The conference is organized by Campaign for America's Future.

A feud is brewing between Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

After the SEIU ran an ad critical of Vitter in Thursday's New Orleans Times-Picayune, Vitter shot back by criticizing the SEIU in a blog post, calling it a "weapon" for liberals.

Now, SEIU is firing back.

"Sen. Vitter: You can run for re-election, but you can't hide from your voting record," said Helene O'Brein, president of the local SEIU chapter.

"Sen. Vitter was right about one thing though--the election is more than 500 days away. That's why working families throughout Louisiana are uniting now to hold politicians accountable. We need to make sure in November 2010, we elect leaders who will stand up for hardworking Louisianans."

Vitter represents a solid target for SEIU, because he is one of the most vulnerable incumbents up for reelection and has actively opposed union priorities like the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and the union-organizing Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), or card-check.

The ad and the crossfire could be the beginning of a big campaign by SEIU to take him out in 2010.

-Aaron Blake

Actor Martin Sheen has cut a radio ad for religious radio stations targeting centrist lawmakers to support the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA).

Sheen recorded an ad for the group Catholics for Working Families, which will air on religious radio stations targeting Sens. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.), Mary Landrieu (D-Ark.), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Ak.).

"A bill in Congress called the Employee Free Choice Act will provide a fair and democratic process for workers to form unions," Sheen says in the spot. "And that will help build a more just economy."

"An economy that promotes families, an economy that values human life and serves everyone, not just the people at the top," Sheen continues. "We need laws that protect all workers, especially the most vulnerable: the people who prepare our food, the people who care for our children, the people who build our homes."

Sheen has been in the forefront of celebrity efforts to pass EFCA, having been a longtime union and Catholic activist.

Most notably, Sheen has played Catholic President Jed Bartlet in "The West Wing," and social justice activist Peter Maurin in a biopic of Catholic Worker founder Dorothy Day.

Listen to the ads here.

Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) invoked Memorial Day and veterans in the latest salvo against the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), organized by a leading group opposed to the labor legislation.

"The right to vote without fear of intimidation and the right to have a say in contract negotiations are central to the freedoms our veterans have defended," Coffman said in a radio actuality. "As we observe the sacrifices our veterans have made in defense of our nation, it is critically important not to lose sight of the freedoms they fought to preserve."

The Teamsters also released a video with a veteran's perspective, arguing that anyone who fights for Americans' rights overseas should have the right to join a union. (See the Teamsters' video below.)

The Workforce Fairness Institute (WFI) linked soldiers' sacrifices remembered on Memorial Day to domestic freedoms the group says EFCA would erode.

"Thanks to these dedicated men and women who served in our Armed Forces, Americans enjoy many rights, one of which is the freedom to vote by secret ballot," WFI's Jason McBride wrote to supporters. "That's why [EFCA] is so dangerous. It eliminates freedoms that should be cherished and guarded -- freedoms that so many have fought to defend."

Here's the radio spot:



Here's the Teamsters' video:

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney may have gotten his most headlines on Tuesday for calling Sonia Sotomayor's nomination "troubling," but other news about the potential 2012 presidential contender crept in other the radar as well.

The Workplace Fairness Institute announced that Romney will appear at a forum in opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act on Thursday in Arlington, Va.

Romney has opposed EFCA for quite some time, according to spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom. In 2006, Romney vetoed a card check bill for Massachusetts public employees when he was governor.

"He thinks it's bad for workers, bad for management and bad for the economy," Fehrnstrom said.

Romney also discussed the issue in a Washington Times op-ed earlier this year and in his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February.

Romney has carefully weighed into the public dialogue on several issues recently. In addition to his statement on Sotomayor, he blogged on President Obama and former Vice President Dick Cheney's national security speeches last week.

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