Summer of corruption: Obama’s Big Labor ethics loophole
Today’s column targets SEIU consigliere Craig Becker and the latest White House gift to Big Labor. So far this summer, Team Obama is fronting the SEIU-backed $8 billion Child Nutrition Act expansion and forked over the union-stamped $26 billion BigGovJobs bailout. And as I noted yesterday, the next big government/labor payoff is on the way in the form of the PBGC bailout. How many more union payoffs can we afford?!
Obama’s Big Labor ethics loophole
by Michelle Malkin
Creators Syndicate
Copyright 2010
Everything you need to know about President Obama’s fraudulent ethics pledge can be summed up in four words: SEIU lawyer Craig Becker.
Becker is the left-wing lawyer Obama sneakily installed on the National Labor Relations Board. The U.S. Senate rejected Becker’s nomination on a 52-33 cloture vote in February. Obama responded by flipping the bird and ramming through his recess appointment during the congressional spring break. (The New York Times approvingly dubbed it a “muscular show of his executive authority.” When that authority was exercised by GOP President George W. Bush, of course, the Times editorial board called it a “constitutional gimmick.”)
Despite the White House’s much-heralded policy of binding every executive appointee to strict conflict-of-interest guidelines, a defiant Becker now remains free to rule on cases involving his former Big Labor bosses. And the most ethical administration in U.S. history isn’t doing a thing to stop him.
While serving as an associate general counsel for both the SEIU and AFL-CIO in 2009, Becker generously lent his legal expertise to the White House. He served as an Obama transition team member for labor issues and helped draft several union-backed executive orders.
These new rules essentially blackball non-union contractors targeted by labor organizers and blacklist non-union employees in the private sector from working on taxpayer-funded projects. Another union protectionist measure immediately adopted by Obama requires that when a government service contract runs out — and there’s a new contract to perform the same services at the same location — the new contractor must retain the old workers. Such regulatory favoritism limits freedom in the workplace and raises the cost of doing business. This suits Becker and his White House champions (who reaped $60 million in SEIU campaign donations and support in 2008) just fine.
Becker’s anti-business views date back to his days as a UCLA professor, when he argued that unions should not be subject to the same rules of democracy and fair elections as everyone else. He favors radical rewriting of union organizing rules and elimination of the secret ballot process by administrative fiat.
It’s no surprise that Becker now refuses to hold himself accountable for the ethics pledge he himself signed in April. As the past two years have taught us, Team Obama’s operational slogan is: Rules are for fools. The contractual ethics commitment states: “I will not for a period of two years from the date of my appointment participate in any particular matter involving specific parties that is directly and substantially related to my former employer or former clients, including regulations and contracts.” Yet, Becker has participated in numerous NLRB cases involving the SEIU and its affiliates — and is parsing the definition of “former employer” by arguing that local SEIU chapters are “separate and distinct legal entities” that don’t fall under the ethics rules.
The National Right to Work Foundation, which has fought both national and local SEIU officials in court on behalf of rank-and-file workers’ rights, eviscerates Becker’s lawyerly blather. SEIU’s own constitution considers local affiliates “constituent subordinate bodies” of the national union, the foundation notes. “Moreover, in 2009 over 85 percent of the SEIU’s receipts came from a per capita tax on the locals’ membership dues and fees. The national union even has the power to assume control over its locals if they do not conform to International policies.”
In any case, Becker has also acknowledged playing a key role in providing “advice and counsel” to the powerful SEIU affiliate in Illinois “relating to proposed executive orders and proposed legislation giving homecare workers a right to organize and engage in collective bargaining under state law.” Championed by Big Labor water-carrier and disgraced former Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich and current SEIU-endorsed Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn, such measures effectively bust into private homes for the Purple Shirts of the SEIU and other union competitors hungry for new dues-paying members.
Now, Becker is in the catbird seat — adjudicating challenges to the power grab rules he helped author.
Little did America know that when candidate Obama promised the SEIU he would “open up the doors of government” to them, he’d give them the keys to our living rooms, too.
See what others have said
Note from Michelle: This section is for comments from michellemalkin.com's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that I agree with or endorse any particular comment just because I let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with my terms of use may lose his or her posting privilege.
Comments
You must be logged in to post a comment.
 |
Jaczko the Jerk: Harry Reid’s sexist crony gets the boot
May 23, 2012 05:15 AM by Michelle Malkin
31 CommentsWhite House lied, jobs died
May 11, 2012 09:49 AM by Michelle Malkin
102 CommentsDrilling moratorium probe update: Green stonewallers caught red-handed
May 10, 2012 04:37 PM by Michelle Malkin
44 CommentsEverything you need to know about Occupy in one photo
May 1, 2012 10:37 AM by Michelle Malkin
158 CommentsEPA’s “Crucify them” guy throws himself under the bus
April 30, 2012 12:41 PM by Michelle Malkin
60 CommentsAnarchy 101: How Wisconsin’s Left embraces chaos (promo video)
April 30, 2012 11:34 AM by Michelle Malkin
36 CommentsConservative consumers: Stand your ground
April 25, 2012 04:22 AM by Michelle Malkin
183 CommentsWilliam ‘Cold Cash’ Jefferson (D-Frigidaire) must report to the cooler soon
April 20, 2012 04:46 PM by Doug Powers
36 CommentsGSA protest photo of the day
April 18, 2012 03:18 PM by Michelle Malkin
60 Comments
Categories: Corruption,SEIU
Babalu Blog
» U.S. Manned Space Flight in The 21st CenturyVillainous Company
» Must Read Post of the Day. Possibly, the YearSister Toldjah
» Barack Obama: Can we call him a Socialist now?Redstate
» Daily Links – May 25, 2012
Well, as a Service Contract Act worker for the US Navy, I’m glad I don’t have to worry about losing my job when the contract expires. The new company has to retain me.
Guess I’ll go in late tomorrow, and leave early………
Chicago thugs have no ethics.
I’d say this is on par with Jamie Gorelick serving as a 9-11 Commisioner (she drafted the law that prevented intelligence agencies and criminal investigators from sharing information – which impeded attempts to investigate the perps who caused the 9/11 attack).
Washington politics are killing our country.
Ethics? We don’t need no stinkin’ ethics!
Union workers: not doing the jobs Americans will do.
Culture of corruption indeed. Or is it “in deed”?
Dude even looks the part of a loyal bolshevik.
This is the white collar version of strong-arm robbery and extortion. The fact that this guy, along with many others, has been placed in a position of power by the Littlest Marxist just means that gross conflicts of interest are the modus operandi of this corrupt regime. Let’s take them down in November and finish the job over the next two years.
Once again, Consevatives attempting similar criminality would be eviscerated by the press within minutes of the news leak. More reasons to reform the nation’s schools, news outlets and journalism standards. We can’t have a free society without a free press. What we have now is a full time Marxist propaganda ministry covering for these disasterous attacks on the Republic that occur almost daily.
How does it feel to have the corrupt union bosses virtually running our country? That is the bottom line. Obama owes his presidency to them and it is payback time. What do you think would happen to him if he reneged on his promises to them? Even Obama could find a horse head in his bed. By the way, can I say “reneged”, or is that racist?
happyscrapper said:
Not really racist but racist in a blasphemous sort of way. People cannot question the “won” who was the one he was waiting for.
actually, I thought he was H. Himmler’s grandson…
Can you imagine an SEIU member taking care of you in your old age? They would be bashing your head, while stealing everything in sight.
I don’t know how it would work, but there must be a way to put an end to these unions. Remember when Ronald Reagan fired all of the air traffic controlers? Everyone said it couldn’t be done, he did it. If all the major companies that are union, would get together and fire everyone and rehire from people that are out of work. That would start a win win situation. Where there is a will, there is a way!! People need to stop laying down for these crooks who don’t give a flip about this country, or if the country as a whole survives!! Some people with business heads could come up with a plan to defeat them. We whipped the Kaiser in WW1, Hitler, Mousilini(sp) and ToJo in WW2, We have conquered those much worse than Unions for crying out loud. Why sould we be defeated from the inside???
Once you lose integrity, the rest is a piece of cake.
Since he only has a recess appointment, Republicans should announce that at the end of 2011, Becker is out and he has no chance of approval. That makes him a lame duck and his effectiveness is limited. He is a radical ideologue not the typical cigar chomping union boss who cares only about getting bloated benefits. The typical union boss can along with management. As long as his workers are living high on the hog, the union boss does not want to undermine capitalism. But Becker is different. He wants to destroy private businesses. He believes that everyone should be a government employee and live off the dictates of all knowing Washington bureaucrats. Becker truly believes that is OK to simply take the wealth of people who the government feels does not “deserve” the money. Labor legends like Walter Reuther and George Meany and Jimmy Hoffa cared only about benefits (even if bankrupted the company). Becker is on a far left wing radical mission.
Just one more thing to defund in 2011.
Seize the Congress and you seize the purse strings.
Those with the gold make the rules.
Of course Obama could recess appoint him a second time. It would be without pay as that is the rules for a second recess appointment, but somehow I bet he would still find plenty of cash in his account.
***
Jimmy Hoffa Sr. (deceased) of the Teamsters would be proud.
***
I hate it when Comrade Obama (PBUH) and his regime “community organize” my wallet! We will all pay more for any work done by these Union thieves.
***
John Bibb
***
One cannot lose that which one never possesed. These folks never had it to begin with.
Newsweek says Michelle Malkin is the 6th most notorious blogger in America
Remember when the trolls used to come out and tell us how wonderful Obama was? Don’t see many of them these days…
Corrupt government? Sure, we elected it. Little by little, one crap-weasel at a time…
***
NEWSWEEK–bought for a buck!
***
Anyone who pays for this rag should get a few bucks back–they paid too much when the whole shebang is worth one dollar.
***
Going AMERICAN PRAVDA sure paid off well for this now deceased news magazine. Keep up the good work, liberal media. Maybe Time and the Grey Lady will be next. A buck each seems about right to me.
***
John Bibb
***
Let me attempt to fix: Once you lose all pretenses of ever having had a shred of integrity, the rest is a piece of cake.
When evangelist Smith Wigglesworth was told that when Paul was struck blind on the road to Damascus, he was suffering from epilepsy and that he had no encounter with Jesus Christ. Wigglesworth simply responded “Roll on oh mighty epilepsy!”
For the love of our little Michelle I say: “Roll on oh notorious blogger!”
Isn’t almost time to raise the minimum wage again?
Mike Church has a new t-shirt up…love it…
This guy have AIDS?
He is so unattractive, he could be a Democrat woman!
Just another “I won” recess appointment by Øbama.
And America dies just a little bit more…
Bailout after bailout after bailout, but rather than the taxpayer getting a bailout, the left is planning on increasing what they steal from us.
Actually what is killing the country are the Democrats who are constantly and blatantly ignoring the law, and Republicans too limp-wristed to hold them accountable.
When the Republicans take over the Whitehouse there needs to be a clean sweep of everyone from the top down to get rid of the filthy communist that are in place now. What’s happening now is an experiment gone horribly wrong. Hurry up and get here 2012.
Americans need to be aware of the damage the ALCU (what a misnomer) is doing to our country. This America-hating organization, founded on the principles of communism, Marxism and socialism along the lines of totalitarianism, needs to be disinfected by the light of truth. I know people who are PROUD of supporting the ACLU…WTH?