Posted on 05/02/2003 6:38:14 AM PDT by sbw123
Pro-Living Wage Group ACORN Criticized
May 1, 10:34 PM (ET)
By ADAM GELLER
NEW YORK (AP) - Opponents of a leading advocacy group for "living wage" laws are calling attention to the group's recent reprimand for laying off three of its own employees because of their unionizing efforts.
The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, was reprimanded March 27 by federal labor officials who determined the group unfairly retaliated against employees at its Dallas office.
The National Labor Relations Board ordered ACORN, which is closely allied with labor unions, to reinstate the workers.
The case is highlighted in a report Thursday by the Employment Policies Institute, a business-backed research group that is a vocal critic of ACORN and its efforts to raise wages for low-paid workers.
In its ruling, the NLRB found that the manager of ACORN's Dallas office engaged in unfair labor practices by questioning employees about their interest in forming a union, and warned that other workers had been fired because of their union efforts. The supervisor also acted unfairly in targeting the three workers, the board found.
ACORN has led campaigns in cities including Boston, New Orleans, Minneapolis and Santa Monica, Calif., pushing local governments to adopt measures mandating pay above the minimum wage. The group and other advocates say such "living wages" are essential to guarantee that the lowest-paid workers can support their families.
Critics, including EPI, argue such measures drive up costs to businesses, leading them to cut the jobs of the people such measures are designed to help.
The recent ruling, along with past situations involving ACORN and its own employees, show the organization is hypocritical, the Employment Policies Institute says.
"ACORN is selling snakeoil in this whole campaign and their actions acknowledge it," said John Doyle, an EPI spokesman.
A spokesman for ACORN disputed that contention. The Dallas employees were laid off because the office was running short of money, not because of their union activity, said the spokesman, David Swanson, in an e-mail responding to questions.
Anti-union comments made the supervisor were "contrary to official ACORN policy," he said.
"ACORN, unlike many who criticize us, firmly supports the National Labor Relations Act and right of all employees to form unions," Swanson said.
A group promoting a quantifiably bad economic idea while clinging to the floating corpse of a failed ideology is criticized? I can't imagine why?
I guess they had better stick to the mainstream media outlets.
Today is May Day, an international labor holiday.
The Employment Policies Institute (EPI), in honor of the U.S. Labor Day, has released a report on the "sordid and hypocritical history" of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, one of the leading proponents of the "living wage" movement.
Mike Burita, communications director for the EPI, says it is ironic that while ACORN promotes local ordinances nationwide that force employers to pay wages as high as $12 per hour, the organization itself was found guilty of foiling unionization efforts of its own employees, has admitted that the living wage figures it promotes are often "made up," and has sued the state of California to have ACORN's employees exempted from the minimum-wage law.
ACORN sued the state in 1995 over the minimum wage, which was at $4.25 per hour at the time. ACORN argued, the EPI says, that being forced to pay higher wages would mean that they would have to hire fewer outreach workers.
"In an even more laughable argument, ACORN stated that paying its employees a lower wage would allow workers to be more sympathetic to the low and moderate-income families they were attempting to organize," EPI said.
ROTFLMAO!!
They can pay my medical insurance, food, housing, education and transportation costs as well. Also my satellite and cable TV bills. And my daughter's ice skating costs. And don't forget free books at the bookstore.
/sarcasm
These people are totally effin' LOONEY.
If you don't make enough to support your family YOU SHOULDN'T BE HAVING KIDS !!!
Even though I am utterly opposed to ACORN and despise their hypocrisy, I must say that it is wrong for them to be forced to rehire workers. No private person or organization should be forced to employ another against their will, unless there is a pre-existing labor contract.
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Hahahahahaaaa!!!!!!!
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