TITLE: Bush Takes Swipe at Organized Labor

AUTHOR:

PUB: Reuters

DATE: February 17, 2001

President Bush took aim at organized labor Saturday, issuing orders effectively reducing how much money unions can spend for political activities and opening up government contracts to non-union bidding. At his central Texas ranch for the weekend, Bush issued four executive orders that White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said were based on the principles of "fair and open competition" but that labor union supporters denounced as a "giant step backward." The moves represented a reversal of policy of the previous Democratic administration and were a shot across the bow to organized labor, which vehemently opposed the orders. One order requires federal contractors to post notices on bulletin boards informing employees who are not in a union but are still required to pay union dues that they have a court-ordered right not to pay the portion of union dues used for political activities. The order seeks to enforce a 1988 Supreme Court ruling, Communications Workers of America vs. Beck. The ruling guaranteed a right not to pay any union dues that go for political purposes. Bush's father had issued a similar order as president but it was revoked by President Clinton. Republicans have long sought to limit the influence of organized labor on political campaigns. The labor movement has been a prime source of get-out-the-vote drives for Democratic political campaigns, including that of Vice President Gore last year. The order drew a sharp rebuke from one Democratic lawmaker. "It is meant to have a chilling effect on the ability of working men and women to organize and bargain collectively for decent wages and benefits, and basic job security," Sen. Paul Wellstone of Minnesota said in a statement. "This is no way to set the tone for bipartisanship," he added. A STEP FURTHER While Bush's order was limited to federal contracts, he would like to take it a step further as part of campaign finance reform legislation. He would like to include a provision giving all union workers the right not to have their dues spent for political activities. A second order Bush signed reversed a Clinton policy that gave unionize construction companies priority on federal projects. It allows non-union companies to compete for bids on federal projects. This restored another policy of Bush's father. "Government contracting decisions should be neutral, neither requiring nor prohibiting project labor agreements, seeking the highest quality at the best price to ensure that government is a responsible steward of the American people's hard-earned tax dollars," Fleischer said. Bobby L. Harnage, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, called Bush's action "hasty, foolhardy" and "a giant step backward." "In one day, President Bush has torn apart what has taken years to craft -- the development of a government workplace that is people-driven, highly flexible, creative and responsive to the changing needs of the American people," he said. Bush signed a third order that "immediately dissolved" the National Partnership Council, which Clinton had set up as a way for government managers and unions for federal employees to try to settle their differences. The Bush White House felt the council's work had become too cumbersome and bureaucratic, aides said. And the fourth order Bush issued effectively eliminates job protections for employees of contractors at federal buildings when the contract is awarded to another company. Fleischer said the order allowed federal contracts to be awarded on the basis of fair and open competition, neutrality in government contracting and efficient use of tax dollars. END top