Congress pass Amend. to Protect Taxpayers Against Union-Only requirements on Military Constructions

National Right To Work Committee - Email | May 19, 2012 | Mark Mix

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By a 211-209 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on Thursday to protect taxpayers and workers from costly, discriminatory union-only requirements on military construction projects.

You see, less than a month after he took office, President Obama signed an Executive Order encouraging federal agencies to adopt discriminatory so-called "project labor agreements" (PLAs) on large-scale construction projects costing the taxpayers $25 million or more.

Government-mandated PLAs typically require contractors to reach a monopoly bargaining arrangement with union bosses with all the usual trappings:

Forced dues. Exclusive union hiring hall schemes. Inflexible union work rules.

These policies discriminate against the more than 85 percent of American construction workers who have opted against unionization.

Not only that, by replacing an open competitive bidding process with mandates that favor unionized firms, PLAs jack up the cost to the taxpayers, as high as 18 percent per construction project.

The Bartlett Amendment to H.R. 4310 prevents the Department of Defense from requiring PLAs on military construction projects.

To find our how your Congressman voted, Click Here.

Guess how our Representative Dave Reichert Vote: HE VOTED NO WITH THE DEMONRATS!!! He was one of only 28 GOP votes against this amendment.

With such a razor-thin margin, votes like these remind us why our candidate survey and grassroots mobilization programs are so vital.

You see, 28 Republicans (along with almost every Democrat) voted against this pro-taxpayer amendment.

Particularly troubling to me is that Republican Majority Leader Eric Cantor actually endorsed one of those weak-kneed Republicans in a competitive primary against a Right to Work champion earlier this year.

As a result of redistricting, two Republican Congressmen from Illinois -- Adam Kinzinger and Donald Manzullo -- faced off in a primary election this March.

While many Republican figures stayed out of the race, Majority Leader Cantor gave his blessing -- and considerable fundraising influence -- to Representative Kinzinger despite Kinzinger's past support of Big Labor's forced-unionism agenda.

For instance, last year, Representative Kinzinger voted AGAINST an amendment to H.R. 1 that would have kept your tax dollars from flowing into Big Labor's handpicked National Labor Relations Board.

Representative Manzullo, on the other hand, is a cosponsor of the National Right to Work Act, a bill that would put an end to forced unionism nationwide.

And in this week's vote, Representative Manzullo voted to protect taxpayers and workers while the Eric Cantor-endorsed Representative Kinzinger voted with Big Labor.

Making matters worse, Adam Kinzinger is now running unopposed in the general election.

The union bosses didn't need a Democrat to vote to safeguard the special privileges they've gained over the last four years.

If Majority Leader Cantor wants to continue painting himself as a conservative champion, he ought to look long and hard at his endorsements.

So please, contact Eric Cantor. Ask him to look at the roll-call vote for the Bartlett Amendment to H.R. 4310 and urge him to apologize for endorsing Adam Kinzinger over Donald Manzullo.

Nearly 80 percent of Americans support the Right to Work principle.

But weak-kneed Republicans like Adam Kinzinger won't help overturn Big Labor's ill-gotten power.

It's critical that Eric Cantor understand the consequences of his actions.

That's why it's vital you contact Majority Leader Eric Cantor today.

Insist that he never endorse another union bag man like Adam Kinginger over a champion of worker freedom.

Sincerely,

Mark Mix