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U.S. Chamber president: Labor agenda making U.S. business less competitive Wednesday, Oct 24, 2007 By Jason Wiest Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - American companies are falling behind in a competitive global economy because of an "emboldened and radical" union agenda, the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said Tuesday. "Many union leaders today want to over-regulate the American workplace," Chamber President Thomas J. Donohue said in a speech at the 79th annual meeting of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce-Associated Industries of Arkansas. "They want to re-unionize our economy, they want to control the board rooms of our best companies, and they want to hijack our politics in order to advance an agenda that includes trade protectionism, tax increases and a government takeover of American health care," Donohue said. He noted AFL-CIO President John Sweeney's pledge for his organization to spend $200 million on the 2008 elections. To counter labor's influence, Donohue said, the national chamber is building a political and grassroots system in 144 key congressional districts. "One of the problems is we've got the greatest influence where we need it the least," Donohue said. "We're going to spend millions of dollars, not on the races where somebody's our friend and we know they're going to win. We're going to put the money where the leverage is." Combating the union agenda is important because labor wants to control corporate policy on outsourcing, layoffs, health coverage and environmentalism, all of which would be bad for business, Donohue said. Last month in Arkansas, Sweeney said American jobs were being lost because businesses have total control over wages. "We know that globalization is here to stay, but it doesn't have to be called survival," Sweeney said during a Sept. 7 speech at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service. "It doesn't work right when corporations are free to pillage the world for cheaper and cheaper labor, slave labor, child labor." Sweeney also criticized businesses for employing environmental practices that he characterized as globally unsustainable. On Tuesday, Arkansas AFL-CIO President Alan Hughes said labor groups like his are only trying to make a better way of life for middle-income Americans. "Look in Arkansas at all the jobs that have been lost, going overseas because they get all the tax breaks," Hughes said. "We just ask for a level playing field." He accused "greedy" corporations of denying workers health care and of skimping on pay for the highly educated employees corporations say they crave. "It's time for companies to put their money where their mouth is," Hughes said. Answering questions after his speech, Donohue praised Bentonville-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. amid a period of declining sales and growth for the world's largest retailer. Critics assail Wal-Mart because they were unable to unionize the company, he said. WakeUpWalmart.com and other Wal-Mart critics have attacked the company's wage structure and benefits, among other complaints. While Donohue did not say the attacks were contributing to tough times for Wal-Mart, he said they certainly are not helping the company. "Wal-Mart has got very smart, very able people," Donohue said. "It's a wonderful group that runs Wal-Mart and there's not a lot of advice I can give them except hang in because in the long run, you're going to prevail." |
