Labor & Employment Law

Ky.?s Paul: Keep Feds out of Mine Safety; Bosses Should Decide on Unions, Not Workers

By Mike Hall

Just in case any Kentucky voters didn?t know where Republican U.S. Senate candidate and tea party darling Rand Paul stands on workers’ rights, he made it clear in a recent debate he doesn?t care much for the rights of workers. And a new TV ad shows that Paul doesn?t have much use for federal mine safety laws, either.

In a debate with Paul, Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway (D) said he backs the Employee Free Choice Act and that workers should have the right to form a union when a majority sign up to join a union.

But as Pat Garofalo at the Think Progress Wonk Room reports, Paul wants to make sure that if any employer doesn?t want workers to belong to a union, than by golly, he should not have to  put up with a union, even if they vote for one.

Paul says he is against the Employee Free Choice Act?which Conway supports?because it ?creates and allows unions to be formed and forced on businesses that don?t want to have unions.?

Seems Paul thinks it?s just not fair to make a boss recognize a union, even if all the workers voted to join one. Really, who do those uppity workers think they are? As Garofalo writes:

So, in Paul?s mind, if management doesn?t want a union, then the business shouldn?t be unionized, regardless of what the workers want. Either that or he thinks that EFCA will magically unionize workers who have no interest in being in a union. He?s either ignorant regarding how the bill would work, or in the more likely scenario, he would empower management with veto power over workers who want to form a union and collectively bargain for better wages, benefits, or safety standards.

We vote for the latter.

Along with his anti-worker stance, Paul isn?t real fond of federal mine safety laws. He told Details.com that Washington shouldn?t have the power ?to be making rules? about mine safety. He even suggested that if miners don?t want to get hurt or be killed in a coal mine, they shouldn’t work there?and that deadly mine disasters are ?unfortunate things that do happen no matter what the regulations are.?

A new ad for Conway takes Paul to task on mine safety.

Miners put their lives on the line every day. So how could Rand Paul propose ending federal safety protections that miners have fought and died for?

In the ad, coal miner George Tudor from Sturgis Ky., says:

I think Rand Paul is wrong. If he has his way, he?ll erase 100 years of blood.

In his move to ?get the government off our back? as the favorite tea party mantra goes, Paul could very well be putting tons of rocks on the backs of the nation?s miners.

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on October 18, 2010 (boomark / email).