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Labor

NATIONAL

IN THE STATES

NATIONAL

"There is no right to collective bargaining."

Working Americans have joined together to negotiate earnings and benefits since the Great Depression to make sure that as our nation's wealth and productivity grew, so did the income and benefits of the people who created that wealth.
By joining together, hardworking Americans can make sure their voices are heard -- so they're not drowned out by the powerful special interests that spend billions to rig the system in their favor.

"Infrastructure spending is a union bailout."

Jobs are jobs. Politicians who would keep Americans jobless and our roads crumbling just for political reasons are putting their ideology ahead of what's best for our country.
Our nation's roads, airports, and water systems are crumbling. We can put millions of Americans back to work building the infrastructure that keeps our country running.
When we build the bridges we drive on and the school buildings where we send our kids, we need to do it right - and that means hiring skilled American workers who follow high American standards.
The Golden Gate Bridge, the Sears Tower, and the St. Louis Arch were built the American way - by American union workers.

"No one should be forced to join a union and pay dues to get a job in this country."

No one has to join a union to get a job -- that's the law.
Everyone should be paid a fair wage for a hard day's work. When workers join together through unions, they can make sure that happens.
The real goal of the politicians pushing these laws is to create an America where there are no unions -- so there's nobody to stand up for workers when corporate CEOs ship jobs overseas or cut their benefits.
It's no surprise politicians like Mitch Daniels oppose one of the last remaining checks on the corporate special interests that fund their campaigns.

"No one should be forced to give money to political causes or candidates they don't support."

Here's how unions really work: it's up to workers whether they want to pay money into their union's political activities, like organized efforts for safer workplace laws.
Let's face it -- politicians backed by billionaire CEOs aren't going to listen to a hotel maid or a construction worker acting on their own.
Politicians already have corporations spending billions of dollars to lobby them. Middle-class Americans should at least be able to join together so they can look out for their own interests, too.

"Right-to-work laws will attract businesses and create jobs."

Of course that's what politicians bankrolled by big corporations will claim. Here's the truth: these kinds of laws don't create jobs -- there's just no evidence for it.
This anti-worker law will just force all working families to work harder for lower pay and less benefits, whether they're in a union or not.
We can put millions of Americans back to work building the roads, bridges, and schools that keep our country running, but Republican politicians keep blocking Obama's jobs plans -- when they're not trying to kill millions of jobs too.

"Obama is just trying to buy the vote of teachers unions for the re-election."

Investing in our teachers is investing in our children -- and in our nation's economic future.
America's success tomorrow depends on the teachers we provide to our children today.
Teachers should be paid a fair wage for their work and the decent benefits they need to take care of their families. When they join together through unions, they can make sure that happens.

"Obama's NLRB appointments are un-American political payback to union stooges."

When politicians say this, they're talking about the heroes of 9/11, the cops who keep our streets safe, and the teachers who prepare our kids to compete in the world.
The American people elected President Obama to enforce the law. The President has a responsibility to keep our government running. That's what he's doing.
In America, we believe everyone should be paid a fair wage for a hard day's work. Now the agency enforcing our workplace laws can now get back to work making sure that happens.

"We now have a runaway, anti-jobs, anti-business, pro-labor union board."

Our economy works best when we value working people and businesses play by the rules.
The NLRB makes sure businesses that pay their workers what they're worth won't get undercut by businesses that don't. And paying workers well means American businesses will have more customers with money to keep them thriving and hiring.
Politicians who used procedural gimmicks to keep the agency powerless were just trying to take away the rights of middle-class families and let their corporate campaign donors get away with breaking the law.

"Labor unions are taking advantage of Citizens United, too."

Actually, there's really no comparison -- unions disclose more about their finances and follow stricter transparency rules than the shadowy front groups for corporations.
Let's be clear on the difference: unions are made up of working people looking out for working people. When corporations raking in billions in profits can spend unlimited amounts buying our elections, unions don't stand a chance.
In fact, when it comes to "soft money" political spending, labor is getting outspent by corporations by almost 20 times more.

IN THE STATES

"Collective bargaining is part of the budget problem."

This is not about budgets. Wall Street recklessness and CEO greed caused our economic problems, not America's nurses, teachers, and firefighters.
80% of the states that have banned public workers joining together to negotiate their benefits and safety have worse budget deficits than Wisconsin.
Politicians who say this aren't being honest - they're using our real economic problems as an excuse to drive their political agenda.

"Government worker demands for huge benefits and salaries drove states to bankruptcy."

Wall Street recklessness and CEO greed crashed our economy -- and corporate tax giveaways only dig us deeper.
Many states looted their worker pension funds to pay for huge corporate tax cuts. These giveaways to big corporations are responsible for state budget problems -- not hardworking teachers, police, and firefighters who make less than workers in the private sector.

"All Republicans wanted was for Wisconsin workers to pay just a little bit more for their lavish benefits."

The truth is that Republicans forced Wisconsin nurses, teachers, and first responders -- who had already offered to pay more for their benefits -- to give up their rights.
Budgets have nothing to do with cutting hardworking Americans out of the democratic process. This was never about budgets -- it was about taking away rights of middle-class workers on behalf of their corporate donors.

"We have to keep the needed budget reforms to avoid tax increases and more layoffs."

This was never about budgets -- it was about taking away the rights of middle-class American workers on behalf of the corporate donors who bankroll politicians like Kasich.
Taking away the rights from hardworking Americans does not solve state budget problems -- but it could mean massive layoffs for the firefighters and police officers who keep all of us safe.

"Democrats are attacking Wisconsin Republicans for being fiscally responsible and doing the job they were elected to do."

We elect our leaders to create jobs, not take away the good jobs that hard-working people already have. Instead Wisconsin Republicans slashed funding that keeps teachers in our classrooms and protects health care for working families and seniors.
We can start solving our budget problems right now by telling millionaires and big corporations to pay their fair share.
We should be paying the Americans who keep our kids educated, our families healthy, and our country running, not making the richest few even richer.

"The recalls in Wisconsin are just a local story -- we shouldn't be paying attention to them."

The Wisconsin recall elections are a wake-up call to Republicans everywhere who put their jobs and their donors before the rest of us -- and a reminder to all Americans that we all can fight back to make our lives better.
We are all better off when our leaders put the people who elected them first -- not the corporate donors who funded their campaigns. Just look at the recent stock market dives.
All over Wisconsin, firefighters, bus drivers and bridge inspectors are joining teachers and nurses to take action and throw these Republicans out of office. They're leading the way and we should follow their example.

"Wisconsin Democrats faced recalls because they ran away from their responsibilities."

These courageous leaders risked their own jobs to stop Wisconsin Republicans from taking away ours. They made a principled stand on behalf of hardworking Americans.
The tide is turning against Republican politicians who lay off our hardworking middle class teachers and nurses to pay for tax giveaways to millionaires and big corporations.

"We have to keep SB5 to rein in runaway pay and benefits for public workers."

Ohio's public workers already make less than workers in the private sector -- and they've already made great sacrifices, like pay freezes and health care cuts that amount to more than $1 billion.
Working families who are struggling have already given enough -- it's time to start solving our budget problems by telling the 1% to pay their fair share.
Kasich and Ohio Republicans have some nerve blaming working families for the state's budget problems when they cut health care, education, and seniors programs to pay for tax giveaways for the 1%.

"Big Labor won in Ohio because they spent millions to win."

This is a victory for regular Americans. We won because Ohio voters stood side by side with the men and women who teach our children, patrol our city streets, and save us from the real fires of our times.
The people of Ohio showed us the way -- we can all fight back against politicians like Kasich who only look out for their corporate campaign backers and the rest of the 1%.
Kasich's backers poured millions of corporate dollars and untold more amounts of secret cash into taking away the rights of Ohio workers -- we'll likely never even know how much.