News Hounds: Varney Lies About Employee Free Choice Act

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.newshounds.us/2009/07/11/varney_lies_about_employee_free_choice_act.php

Reported by Ellen - July 11, 2009 - 31 comments

Guest blogged by Brian

On yesterday’s (7/10/09) Your World, Stuart Varney claimed that unions were using President Obama’s meeting with the Pope to push their agenda, the Employee Free Choice Act a/k/a Card Check legislation. Varney used that accusation as a launch pad for distortions about the Act. The guest, Stewart Acuff of the AFL-CIO, did not let Varney get away with it. With video.

After being accused by Varney of “using the Pope’s words and his message for your own political agenda,” Acuff said, “Stuart, the Catholic Church has a long tradition of supporting workers’ rights and supporting labor unions and supporting the freedom to form unions and bargain collectively. It didn’t just begin with this Pope.”

Apparently unable to rebut that, Varney interrupted to say, “Let’s get to Card Check… This is what we’re really talking about here.” After another swipe at Acuff for “using the Pope,” Varney added, “Now Card Check would do away with the free vote."

"No it would not,” Acuff said. “You are wrong Stuart, you are wrong. The Wall Street Journal has said that that is a lie. The Chamber of Commerce has said that that is a lie. And it's just not true."

Varney said hostilely. "It's not. It is true. It would do away with a secret ballot… If you get a certain number of workers to sign a card,… you get a certain proportion, the union is in.” His voice raised now, Varney alleged that that was somehow coercion. He shouted, “The Pope is not in favor of coercion… There is coercion implied in card check, and I don't think that the Pope wants to be associated with coercion."

Acuff shouted back, "Twenty nine thousand workers last year in this country were retaliated against by their employers for exercising legally protected workers rights… Stop lying!"

FULL story at link.