U.S. Chamber President: Unions' Political Agenda Will Drive Away American Jobs

LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS-In a major address to Arkansas business leaders today, U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas J. Donohue said that some unions are pursuing a political and policy agenda that would turn back the clock to the 1950s, damaging U.S. competitiveness and hurting American workers.

"Some union leaders want to over-regulate the American workplace, re-unionize our economy, control the boardrooms of our best companies, and dominate our politics in order to promote trade protectionism, tax increases, and a government takeover of health care," said Donohue at an event hosted by the Arkansas State Chamber and the Associated Industries of Arkansas. "The business community must not let them succeed."

The Chamber President noted his organization's longstanding support for the right of workers to voluntarily join unions under fair and democratic rules. He also stressed that that Chamber has worked closely with many unions on issues such as infrastructure, energy, and immigration - and would continue to do so.

"But we will not sit by while some union leaders pressure Congress to pass a broad array of new workplace regulations," Donohue said. "We will continue to lead the fight against their transparent campaign to do away with secret ballots in organizing elections. We will challenge the unions before the Securities and Exchange Commission and in court when they tap their members' pension savings and abuse the shareholder proxy process to win concessions from companies that could not be won at the bargaining table."

Noting that some labor leaders have promised to spend their members' compulsory dues lavishly in the 2008 elections, Donohue said the Chamber would launch an unprecedented grassroots program across the nation to educate and rally legions of small and large companies and their employees. "We will meet the unions on the ground in key districts and advance a positive agenda for the American worker - improving education and training, keeping taxes down, opening new export markets, and rebuilding America's infrastructure," Donohue said.

"Unions should support this agenda because it means more American jobs. Their leaders' agenda of higher taxes and more regulations will drive jobs away," Donohue said.

The U.S. Chamber is the world's largest business federation representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region.

The speech can be viewed by clicking here.

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