View Full May PDF Issue - Utility Contractor Online

INSIDE WASHINGTON
its version of the bill — and that’s another issue we’ll work
at the Summit.
Gearing Up for “Card Check” Rumble
In what is being hyped as the biggest fight in the 111th
Congress, the Employee Free Choice Act, better known
as “card check,” was introduced in both the House and
Senate in March. The legislation (HR 1409 /S 560)
would allow for unionization of a company’s through a
collection of a majority of “authorization cards” from a
company’s employees in lieu of the secret ballot process
currently provided for under the National Labor Relations
Act (NLRA). On top of that, the card check bill
also includes provisions for binding arbitration between
workers and employers if the parties do not reach an
agreement within 120 days and an increase in fines and
penalties for unfair labor practices committed by employers.
Labor’s ace in the hole was the support of Sen. Arlen
Specter (R-Penn). The unions were counting on him
to cast the critical 60th vote needed to end debate and
bring the bill up for a final vote. However, when Specter
said publicly that “the better way to expand labor’s
clout in collective bargaining is through amendments to
the NLRA rather than eliminating the secret ballot and
mandatory arbitration,” all bets were off. At this point,
card check supporters need to hold the support of all
Democrats and at least one Republican Senator.
That said, organized labor is reported to be running
$10 million worth of ads in politically important states,
where they hope grassroots advocacy will sway one or
more moderate Republican senators. The lobbying has
gone from intense to extreme, and all groups with a
stake in this fight will be weighing in big time. NUCA
will be one of them.
Providing Affordable Health Care Still
a Priority
Besides the overwhelming challenges facing the underground
utility construction industry and the shortage
of work in various markets of interest, the rising costs of
providing health care has been a huge concern for NUCA
members. This year is no different. In years past, NUCA has
supported Association Health Plan (AHP) or Small Business
Health Plan (SBHP) legislation that would allow small businesses
to pool their resources in order to provide quality
health care to their employees at a more affordable cost.
Although the current environment in Washington is
such that stand-alone AHP/SBHP legislation in not politically
viable, NUCA is working as a member of the Small
Business Coalition for Affordable Healthcare (SBCAH) to
include the fundamental concepts of the previous legislation
into a much larger health care package, which is
expected to be debated this year. The SBCAH strives to increase
the access and affordability of health insurance for
small-business owners, employees and the self-employed.
The coalition will encourage lawmakers to include several
provisions in comprehensive health care legislation,
including:
• Market-Based Pooling Arrangements to achieve
greater purchasing clout, spread risk and lower administrative
costs. This leads to increased affordability and
choices for the purchase of private health insurance for
business owners and their employees.
• Tax-Based Health/Insurance Incentives to supplement
the cost of private health insurance for employers,
the self-employed and individuals.
• New Healthcare Markets, Marketplaces and Products
to provide flexibility to choose the health insurance
packages that best meet the needs of the particular
workforce.
• Understandable and Easy-to-compare Healthcare
Information to provide clarity and assist health care
consumers (including employers) across the healthcare
marketplace.
The industry is hurting. There are now more than 2 million
construction workers out of work and the unemployment
rate for construction is now over 21 percent. There
have been 21 consecutive months of significant job loss in
the industry and construction has been hit harder by the
economic downturn than any other industrial sector. Now
is the time to fight for your industry.
With your help we can continue to expand our markets
and get the industry back on its feet. We can fight to
preserve the secret ballot process in the workplace that
is fundamental to our democracy. And, we can support
commonsense health care reforms to enable employers
to better provide health insurance to their employees at
an affordable cost. If you are unable to attend the Washington
Summit (May 18-20, Hotel Monaco, Alexandria,
VA), we hope you will do your part from home. The
Congressional Switchboard number is (202) 224-3121.
Your industry needs you in the game. Won’t you give us
a hand
Eben Wyman is NUCA Vice President of Government Relations.
May 2009 | Utility Contractor 107
National Utility Contractors Association