On the 103rd anniversary of the establishment of the Department of Labor, American Bridge President Jessica Mackler released the following statement on Senator Mark Kirk’s unacceptable record on labor:
“The Department of Labor has helped to build our middle class, level the playing field for millions of Americans, and been an unwavering defender of workers’ rights. However, the fight for working families is far from over, and Senator Mark Kirk has shown us again and again he is not on the side of working Americans. He has called the SEIU ‘toxic’ and Illinois’ unions ‘dumb.’ He has blocked workers from the freedom to form a union with their co-workers and voted repeatedly against raising the minimum wage. Sen. Kirk is beholden to corporate special interests like the Koch brothers — and make no mistake — he is no friend of New Hampshire’s working families.”
Background:
Kirk Made Offensive Statements About Unions
April 2015: Kirk Said That SEIU Was “Toxic For Fiscal Discipline.” According to Illinois Public Radio, “The Illinois Republican says Cook County Commissioner Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia’s campaign supporters have supported higher spending in the past. ‘He’s backed by the same [Service Employees International Union] team that has run the state into the ground,’ Kirk said. ‘That union is absolutely toxic for fiscal discipline.” [Illinois Public Radio, 4/7/15]
Video, 2015: Kirk: “The SEIU Is Part Of The Toxic Left And Has Really Destroyed The Business Climate Of This State.” While appearing at the Eighth Annual Government Forum, Kirk said, “We should not have the state run by big unions. The SEIU is part of the toxic left that has really destroyed the business climate of this state.” [AB 21 Tracking Footage Eighth Annual Government Forum, 4/9/15]
April 2015: Kirk Said The SEIU “Has Run The State Into The Ground.” According to Illinois Public Radio, “The Illinois Republican says Cook County Commissioner Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia’s campaign supporters have supported higher spending in the past. ‘He’s backed by the same [Service Employees International Union] team that has run the state into the ground,’ Kirk said. ‘That union is absolutely toxic for fiscal discipline.” [Illinois Public Radio, 4/7/15]
March 2014: Kirk Called The SEIU “Particularly Corrupt.” According to the Chicago Sun-Times, “Kirk singled out the Service Employees International Union, calling the group ‘particularly corrupt.’ ‘I would particularly say that there’s been one union that’s run the state of Illinois called the SEIU, a particularly corrupt union,’ Kirk said. ‘The SEIU – it’s no mistake that Rod Blagojevich wanted to leave his job as governor and go work for them. It’s because he saw the SEIU as more powerful than the state of Illinois.’” [Chicago Sun-Times, 3/20/14]
- Video: Kirk Called The SEIU A “Particularly Corrupt Union” And Said It Was No Surprise That Blagojevich Wanted To Work For It. While participating in a Chicago Sun-Times interview, Kirk said, “There has been one union that has particularly run the state of Illinois called the SEUI. A particularly corrupt union. It’s no mistake that Rod Blagojevich wanted to leave his job as governor and go work for them. It’s because he saw the SEIU as more powerful than the state of Illinois.” [Chicago Sun-Times Interview, uploaded to YouTube 3/19/14]
March 2014: Kirk Claimed That Unions Wanted Illinois To Stay In A “Dull, Gray, Union-Controlled, Dumb Economy.” While participating in a Chicago Sun-Times interview, Kirk said, “The national significance of this race is that the toxic left looks at what happened in Wisconsin as a … for their cause and they will do almost anything to make sure that Illinois stays safely in the dull, gray, union-controlled, dumb economy that we have.” [Chicago Sun-Times Interview, uploaded to YouTube 3/19/14]
Kirk Opposed Card Check Legislation
2007: Kirk Voted Against Allowing Workers To Form A Union By Having A Majority Of Employees Sign Cards In Favor Of The Union, Rather Than Holding A Secret-Ballot Election. In March 2007, Kirk voted against a bill that, according to Congressional Quarterly, “would [have] allow[ed] union organizers to bypass secret-ballot elections if a majority of eligible employees sign a petition in support of union formation. It would [have] establish[ed] a system of mediation and arbitration that would apply when an employer and union are unable to agree on their first contract. Employers would [have] be[en] required to pay three times the amount of back pay that an employee is due if the employee is illegally fired or discriminated against during an organizational or first contract drive.” The House agreed to the bill by a vote of 241 to 185. The bill was then sent to the Senate, where it died on a procedural motion. [House Vote 118, 3/1/07; Congressional Quarterly, 3/1/07; Congressional Actions, H.R. 800]
Kirk Voted Against Allowing TSA Employees To Unionize
2011: Kirk Voted To Prohibit Collective Bargaining By TSA Employees. In February 2011, Kirk voted for an amendment that, according to Congressional Quarterly, “would have excluded TSA employees from current law that gives federal employees the right to engage in some collective bargaining.” The Senate rejected the proposed amendment to the 2011 federal aviation program reauthorization bill by a vote of 47 to 51. [Senate Vote 17, 2/15/11; Congressional Quarterly, 2/16/11]
Kirk Voted Against Allowing Federal Employees To Automatically Deduct Their Union Dues
2013: Kirk Voted To Prohibit The Automatic Deduction Of Union Dues From The Paychecks Of Federal Employees. In March 2013, Kirk voted for an amendment that, according to a press release from its sponsor, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), “prohibits the automatic deduction of union dues from federal employees’ paychecks.” The vote was on the amendment; the Senate rejected it by a vote of 43 to 56. [Senate Vote 75, 3/22/13; Sen. Scott press release, 3/23/13]
Kirk Voted To Prevent Snap Union Elections
2011: Kirk Voted For A Republican Jobs Proposal Known As The “Jobs Through Growth Act” That Included A Provision To Limit The Authority Of The National Labor Relations Board. In November 2011, Kirk voted for an amendment that would have put in place a number of Republican policy priorities. According to The Hill, “The ‘Jobs Through Growth Act,’ penned by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), was voted down 40-46 and included a Sense of the Congress that a balanced budget to the Constitution is needed, a provision to make it easier for the government to rescind unspent funds and a reduction in taxes for individuals and companies. It also would have repealed last year’s healthcare law and the Dodd-Frank financial reform law. In addition, the bill would have limited the authority of the National Labor Relations Board, expanded access to offshore oil and slashed federal regulations related to the environment.” The amendment was a second-degree amendment to a bill to end the withholding requirement for payments to government contractors. The Senate rejected the amendment by a vote of 40 to 56. [Senate Vote 202, 11/10/11; The Hill, 11/10/11]
- The Jobs Through Growth Act Included An Amendment To Prevent Snap Union Elections. According to a press release from Senator Portman, “National Labor Relations Board Reform – (H.R.2587, Rep. Tim Scott) From back-door card-check, to threatening jobs in South Carolina, the out-of-control National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is paying back union officials at the expense of worker rights and jobs. To create more jobs, legislation prohibiting the NLRB from stopping new plants and legislation to prevent coercive, quick-snap union elections should be passed.” [Senator Portman, press release, accessed 8/18/15]
Kirk Voted Twice To Overturn National Labor Relations Board Rules THat Made Union Elections More Streamlined And Transparent
2015: Kirk Voted To Overturn The National Labor Relations Board’s Rule Making Union Representation Election Procedures Quicker And More Transparent. In March 2015, Kirk voted for a joint resolution that, according to Congressional Quarterly, “provide[d] for congressional disapproval and nullification of the National Labor Relations Board [NLRB] rule relating to case representation procedures,” which, a separate Congressional Quarterly article explains, is “the process through which workers vote to unionize.” According to the NLRB, “The Final Rule will streamline Board procedures, increase transparency and uniformity across regions, eliminate or reduce unnecessary litigation, duplication and delay, and update the Board’s rules on documents and communications in light of modern communications technology.” The Senate adopted the joint resolution by a vote of 53 to 46. Afterwards, the House also adopted the resolution, but it was vetoed by the president. The Senate subsequently tabled the veto message. [Senate Vote 67, 3/4/15; Congressional Quarterly, 3/4/15; Congressional Quarterly, 3/13/15; National Labor Relations Board, 12/11/14; Congressional Actions, S. J. Res. 8]
2015: Kirk Effectively Voted To Overturn The National Labor Relations Board’s Rule Modifying Its Union Representation Election Procedures To Reduce Delays And Increase Transparency.In March 2015, Kirk effectively voted for a joint resolution that, according to Congressional Quarterly, “provide[d] for congressional disapproval and nullification of the National Labor Relations Board [NLRB] rule relating to case representation procedures,” which, a separate Congressional Quarterly article explains, is “the process through which workers vote to unionize.” According to the NLRB, “The Final Rule will streamline Board procedures, increase transparency and uniformity across regions, eliminate or reduce unnecessary litigation, duplication and delay, and update the Board’s rules on documents and communications in light of modern communications technology.” The vote was on a motion to proceed to consider the resolution, which the Senate adopted by a vote of 53 to 45. Subsequently, the Senate and House both adopted the resolution, but it was vetoed by the president. The Senate later tabled the veto message. [Senate Vote 66, 3/3/15; Congressional Quarterly, 3/3/15; Congressional Quarterly, 3/13/15; National Labor Relations Board, 12/11/14; Congressional Actions, S. J. Res. 8]
Published: Mar 4, 2016