THIS SHOULD KEEP WENDY AWAKE AT NIGHT

I don't feel the need to jump aggressively into the News-Press dialog as it is covered so well in other places (most notably by Craig Smith). However, I couldn't help but think about the heartburn Wendy McCaw must have endured when reading about the newest bill that just passed the House of Representatives. Specifically, this bill would strengthen the rights of employees to form unions. Now, I'm not in the habit of reading dry legislation, but there is a great New York Times Editorial today that outlines some of the provisions in the bill, and again, my mind went right to McCaw. The following are a couple of quotes that jumped out at me:

The bill would also increase the penalty for employers who fired or otherwise discriminated illegally against pro-union employees.

... And the bill would require binding arbitration if a newly formed union and company management were unable to agree on a first contract after 120 days. The refusal to bargain is among the most common allegations against employers in filings to the National Labor Relations Board.

The editorial also points out that, currently, employees are not allowed to have pro-union activities during work hours. But ...

... employers can require workers to attend anti-union presentations, and can discipline or fire those who refuse to attend.

Any of this sound familiar?

It seems like this bill would actually help people lead better lives, so of course, it is opposed by Bush. I don't imagine that the bill will go anywhere, but it will be fun to watch. And if you don't think Wendy pays attention to these things, remember how excited she was when the Supreme Court made that horrible anti-whistleblower decision. She sometimes points to this as proof that her employees aren't allowed to say bad things about her.

Anyway, in my head this is going to pass the Senate and be signed by Bush. In reality, I won't get my hopes up.