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June 9, 2009

Readers' Forum: June 10, 2009

Workers deserve to have a choice

Historically, the Chamber of Commerce has a record of fighting against: The eight-hour workday, child labor laws, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Voting Rights Act, raising Americans with Disability Act access standards, overtime payments for workers through reforms of the Fair Labor Standards Act, OSHA ergonomics regulations, minimum wage increases, and living wages.

Now they’ve added the Employee Free Choice Act.

The state and numerous local Chambers of Commerce have followed their national organization in fighting labor law reform that will allow workers to exercise their rights, without fear of intimidation and threats. The Chamber’s position that it is concerned about how the law would affect employees is absurd.

Contrary to the scare tactics spouted by the Chamber and other employer organizations, the secret ballot election process will still exist and card check authorization would simply be a new choice of procedure for employees in deciding whether to have a union.

Look at some of the Labor Board data as researched by Cornell University’s Kate Bronfenbrenner: 34 percent of the companies facing a union election had fired pro-union workers, 47 percent had threatened to cut wages and benefits, 57 percent threatened to close work sites, and 63 percent had interrogated employees.

EFCA will take away the unscrupulous employer’s ability to violate labor law without consequence. A philosophical business position doesn’t overcome the facts; reform is needed.

If it’s OK for employers to organize together as a “chamber” to further their interests, why isn’t it OK for employees to organize together to further their interests — while not having their rights violated?

— Tom Szymanski

Organizer, IBEW Local 725

Terre Haute



Double standard from the liberals

While Stephanie Salter was busy trying to pin blame for murder on anyone who has pointed out that Dr. Tiller “the baby killer” has been responsible for at least 60,000 deaths (the population of Terre Haute), I heard nothing about the left’s responsibility in the killing of a recruiting soldier during the same week.

While the right was supposed to “own a part of it” for Dr. Tiller being assassinated in church (an ironic place for a man who made millions killing babies-to-be), apparently the left has no responsibility for the nut job walking into a recruiting station and killing our soldiers. I guess it is wrong to label the man getting rich while sucking out babies’ brains an evil person, but OK to call our soldiers “murderers,” as did Democrat Congressman John Murtha.

We should not point out that Dr. Tiller had performed partial birth abortions, but it is OK to compare our military personnel guarding prisoners to the Nazis, Soviet gulags and Cambodia’s Pol Pot, as did Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin.

Where was Ms. Salter and company’s outrage when these esteemed leaders for the Democratic left were inciting hatred for our military?

Why no cry for condemnation for the left, when they encourage the “unhinged” and “truly committed” to attack our military?

Bottom line: Tiller’s partner is right back to making millions killing babies even as they are being born and we are short one murderous, despicable human being and one of our brave volunteers.

I will ask this, which was the greater loss and which has had more newsprint spent written on them?

— Michael C. Sherrill

Marshall, Ill.



Editorial cartoons degrading material

In reference to Raymond E. Broshar’s letter of June 8, I fully agree and support his opinion of the editorial cartoons.

The cartoons such as those produced by Toles, and others, are unnecessary, and generally demeaning to your readership.

I too ask that the Tribune-Star cease featuring this degrading material.

— Van W. Cottom

Terre Haute

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