Parnell's interests don't seem to coincide with workers

Congressman Young asked Parnell how he could claim that he had raised $290 thousand dollars, all from individuals, when nearly half of his funds came from a far right-wing group called the Club for Growth.

Parnell said, "The Club for Growth has individuals that belong to it that contribute to campaigns ... my entire report to date is made up of individuals contributing to my campaign."

The group is made up of large corporate contributors and multi-millionaire corporate businessmen. So technically, they'd be considered "individuals" if they wrote the checks personally, but likely they were "bundled" from the group as Young stated. That's just a tad misleading.

And when it was Parnell's turn to poke at Young I'm sure he considered asking about major issues like the economy, the energy crisis, military issues, or perhaps education, right? Wrong. He went after the congressman for a vote he made supporting workers rights. Huh? He had one question to take Congressman Young on with, and he challenges his support of workers. Unbelievable.

And worse, Parnell bungled it. He seemed to know very little about the issue. The legislation is actually called the Employee Free Choice Act. He made two absolutely false statements about the legislation. He said it "would require employees in a business to have an open ballot when voting whether or not to organize a union." And he said "it takes away the secret ballot." He's wrong on both counts.

I briefly mentioned this legislation in my last column, but it bears further indulgence. Congressman Young voted for the bill on March 1, 2007. It passed overwhelmingly in the House by a vote of 241-185 with 13 Republicans voting in favor. And this was prior to when big corporate interests started putting the spin on the bill.

The opponents of this act all preach the same message: protecting workers. Of course, I wanted to know who these fellow crusaders for the rights of workers were. They have great sounding names like the Employee Freedom Action Committee. A quick search began to peel the skin off the onion. That group is run by the same guy who heads up the union-bashing Center for Union Facts. His name is Richard Berman. He is a multi-millionaire corporate lobbyist known for his pro-tobacco lobbying, support for carcinogenic pesticides, opposition to the Americans with Disabilities Act, and his attacks on Mothers Against Drunk Drivers. The CBS news show 60 Minutes nicknamed him "Dr. Evil."

When the bill went over to the U.S. Senate, big business began the full-court press and started twisting their tale. Besides Berman, the biggest assailants of the bill have been The Center for a Democratic Workplace, another deceptively titled group made up primarily of affiliates of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Associated Builders & Contractors, another anti-union association that regularly opposes rights and benefits for workers, and most recently, that notorious violator of worker's rights, Wal-Mart.

There is no end to the opposition's hypocrisy regarding this legislation, and of course it boils down to pure selfish monetary interest.

Forgive me for doubting that Sean Parnell or Richard Berman are looking out for me and my family when railing against the Employee Free Choice Act -- legislation that would make it harder for employers to violate worker's rights.

The fact is that America's working families are falling behind, even as those at the top of the ladder are raking in record profits. Wages are falling, health care costs are rising and retirement security sounds like an oxymoron. Our once powerful middle class is shrinking fast. The Employee Free Choice Act offers workers the best chance economically to take back America.

It's clear that Parnell lines up with corporate interests over worker's rights. Also noteworthy is that the other four U.S. House candidates support the Employee Free Choice Act. At a time when he is seeking to represent the best interests of all Alaskans, he sides against the hard working Alaskans who simply seek fairer treatment in getting to the bargaining table.

Parnell concluded he "wants to be a light, and make a difference." Unfortunately, after the debate Mr. Parnell looked more like a dim bulb. And the question Alaska workers should be asking is, make a difference for whom?

Vince Beltrami is president of the Alaska AFL-CIO. In the U.S. House primaries, the organization has endorsed incumbent Republican Don Young and Democrat Ethan Berkowitz.