Buffett Slams ‘Card-Check’
EmailABC News’ Rick Klein reports: The Oracle of Omaha has stepped into the year’s hottest battle between big business and big labor. On CNBC Monday, Warren Buffett weighed in sharply against the Employee Free Choice Act, union leaders’ top priority for the year. “I think the secret ballot’s pretty important in the country. You know, I’m against card check, to make a perfectly flat statement,” Buffett said. The statement is being actively circulated by opponents of the “card-check” bill, which would make it far easier for employees to form unions. Buffett, who has had a close working relationship with President Obama and his team: is echoing the most prevalent argument used by the legislation’s opponents: that workers have a right to decide whether to form a union through secret ballot. As we’ve covered previously, it’s not at all clear that supporters have adequate votes to pass the bill, which died in a Senate filibuster two years ago. And it’s also not yet clear that President Obama — who supports the bill — wants to burn political capital getting it through the Senate. Politico’s Ben Smith has an interesting piece up today about how EFCA is creating jobs already — for Republican operatives. Follow The Note blog on Twitter.
Sen. DeMint: GOP Race Could Go Until Convention 
Obama Avoids Questions on Contraception Rule
The “secret ballot” thing is such a red herring and a lie. EFCA does nothing to eliminate it. The Workers get to choose whether they organize by secret ballot or not.
I love how big business is suddenly “concerned” with the “welfare” of their workers… It would be nice if they were at least honest and said that they didn’t care about this moot issue, they just don’t want workers to have any say.
Posted by: Mike | March 9, 2009, 11:32 am 11:32 am
Unions are part of the problem, not part of the solution.
Posted by: Deep Release | March 9, 2009, 11:52 am 11:52 am
The only say workers should have in the operations of their employer’s business is via the suggestion box.
Posted by: mmonroeliveson | March 9, 2009, 11:52 am 11:52 am
lmao these panty waist liberals are raising hell if someone listens to a terrorist phone call but love it if they can look over your shoulder to see how you vote.. These hippocrite, panty waist crybaby union bosses are nothign more than SLIM
Posted by: Obama-cabinet of corruption | March 9, 2009, 11:57 am 11:57 am
I know how I would sign the card if a couple of union thugs were looking over my shoulder.
Posted by: Larry | March 9, 2009, 12:07 pm 12:07 pm
I’m against card check – I agree that secret ballots are essential in any kind of election. On “This Week” yesterday, Claire McCaskill – who is for card check – stated that the rules are currently rigged. The balloting to instate a union is secret. The balloting to remove a union is NOT secret. As she said, and I agree, “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander”. BOTH votes should be secret.
Posted by: Steve From NH | March 9, 2009, 12:27 pm 12:27 pm
“I know how I would sign the card if a couple of union thugs were looking over my shoulder.” ‘Cos the corporate thugs are never looking over your shoulder or rigging the “secret ballot” or spreading lies… Corporations always work in the best interest of their employees… yeah, right! If you believe that, I’ve got a bridge in brooklyn to sell you!
Posted by: Mike | March 9, 2009, 12:47 pm 12:47 pm
“Corporations always work in the best interest of their employees… yeah, right! If you believe that, I’ve got a bridge in brooklyn to sell you”
LOL, yep the auto workers union has done a hell of it job for its workers! Great Pensions and such for past couple of decades, now its going to be interesting to see what happens as these companies who gave in to the unions crash & burn.
Oh, by the way, nice litle getaway the UAW just had. Im sure all the members will apprciate it when there is less in the funds to suport out of work members!
Unions had their place in time, but now they are much more a part of the problem than a component of the solution.
Posted by: Mike_C | March 9, 2009, 1:38 pm 1:38 pm
How many UAW members does it take to change a light bulb????
Silly boys and girls…everyone knows you have to call the IBEW to change a light bulb.
Posted by: socialism101 | March 9, 2009, 4:43 pm 4:43 pm
As Pogo once lamented – we have met the enemy and he is us. Don’t know about you people, but I worked under that “plantation mentality” and I worked under a union to protect me. Give me the union label any time. To believe otherwise you are either rich or stupid.
Posted by: Micheal W Smith | March 9, 2009, 5:16 pm 5:16 pm
Monroe..this is about workers rights to unionize..not anything to do with the day to today operations of a business..its not like you not to be up to speed…
Posted by: cowgirl | March 9, 2009, 6:16 pm 6:16 pm
Thank you Mr. Buffet for speaking up. Corporations have to work in consideration of PROFIT first and foremost. Profit seems to be a dirty word of late, but if a corp is not profitable it will have nothing else. We have to be able to compete in a global scenario. If we force card check on the foreign auto makers that are here, they can certainly pack up and go home. We can’t afford to lose more jobs. We need to encourage them!
Posted by: Gary | March 9, 2009, 6:18 pm 6:18 pm
and by the way, that union “thug” philosophy, went out with the dark ages..you watch too many movies..I read all of Buffets interviews…what would you expect a tycoon or business owner to say…yes, i want to pay all my employees high wages..NO..My grandfathers canneries unionized..did he like it..no..but he went on to become a millionaire, and he could have brought in scabs to cross the union lines..He made money, opened more cannieries, employed more people at a living wage and those people put their kids through college..He died rich and respected..What more could you ask for..it was a win win situation…which is what capitalism should be..make money on your product..not at the expense of your workers…that is not capitalism
Posted by: cowgirl | March 9, 2009, 6:25 pm 6:25 pm
Secret ballots are an essential part of Democracy – but then again the USA is moving away from that isnt it?
Posted by: Gerry Sinclair | March 9, 2009, 6:34 pm 6:34 pm
the american consumer that makes business grow and prosper…IS the AMERICAN WORKER..give him a living wage and he will invest it by growing businesses..the stock market isn’t what grows business..its the individual wage earner..and 2 years ago…the republicans were in control of congress..what would you expect from the party who was all for bringing the illegal immigrants in so that they could have cheap labor from mexico, to drive wages down and destroy unions and a living wage. If they had there way -there would still be slavery and women would’nt have the right to vote.
Posted by: cowgirl | March 9, 2009, 6:41 pm 6:41 pm
I was in UAW for over 20 years. Union is just another layer of management. There is no difference between company managers and union reps because they perform the same type management functions. I won’t get into all the examples of why unions are bad for a business organization or how curropt union leaders are but I will say that needing a union rep is much like needing a lawyer – if you need one, you are in trouble. Don’t let the unions’ fear mongers convince you that you need the union to protect you against your employer. It’s the union leadership you need protection from.
Posted by: Robert | March 9, 2009, 8:11 pm 8:11 pm
Unions buy the politicians, and the socialist liberal politicians buy the unions. What a foul mess we have. Down with Unions and Socialist Politicians and their racketeering ways. What a total quid pro quo mess.
Posted by: jon | March 9, 2009, 10:19 pm 10:19 pm
Wait, Buffett is now complaining that Obama is acting like the socialist everyone who was paying attention knew he was? He’s not an oracle, he’s a buffoon.
Posted by: SAM | March 9, 2009, 10:35 pm 10:35 pm
With all due respect to the unions…..they used to have a niche in the American economy……it was because they were the BEST SKILLED labor available…they sold out to promoting everyone….regardless of their skills……and the engineers of managemenet did not recognize the skills of the men and women who put their theories to test…………Unions will come back strong when they embrace (and MARKET) their first love………THEIR SKILLS.
Posted by: socialism101 | March 9, 2009, 10:50 pm 10:50 pm
In the last few years, as unions, and thus workers, have been weakened, we have seen an erosion in real wages and a growing gulf between the incomes of those who work for a wage and those who employ them. And I attribute this, at least in part, to a decrease in unionization. One of the problems is that the current rules are wildly in favor of the companies. They can require their employees to attend meetings where they are told why unionization would be bad. Many companies who are cavalier in their abuse of their employees clean up their act in the couple of months before the election and then go right back to their anti-worker behaviors after the ballot has (as usual) failed on the tilted playing field. I agree that unions are not perfect but employers will listen to the unified voice of their employees in a way they will never listen to individuals. And you must remember, the employees ARE the union; it is simply a mechanism that allows them to speak in a unified manner and thus gain a level of clout that, if not equal to, at least approaches that of managers and owners.
Posted by: Mark, Orlando | March 9, 2009, 11:47 pm 11:47 pm
cowgirl—your kidding right?? More democrats supported the “amnesty” bill than republicans.. Bush supported it and got castigatedin his own party for it.. so did McCain.. A union is laike many other things.. if you have nver had one, you need one to make sure that you are getting a fair shake.. In most cases, once that is accomplished they then become the piriah that destroys the company of the workers they are sworn to protect… this bill will simple make it harder for workers to make an honest choice.. If the union knows who votes against them, they have the ability to turn up the pressure before the next vote..this is not the way things are supposed to be.. And actually the stock market does show if businesses are actually growing… true that the worker is the catalyst, but if those “fair” wages are so inflated that they drive a business under, then everyone loses…
Posted by: arkie vet | March 10, 2009, 3:07 pm 3:07 pm
Cowgirl–”Monroe..this is about workers rights to unionize..not anything to do with the day to today operations of a business..its not like you not to be up to speed…”– sorry your wrong.. its not about the right to unionize, its about the right to “privately” make that decision without fear of pressure from union organizers or other employees…
Posted by: arkie vet | March 10, 2009, 3:09 pm 3:09 pm
Card Check allows practically anyone to call himself a labor organizer. It is not a stretch to imagine someone like Tony Soprano sending his crew around to workers’ homes to sign them up with their own local union. Then the “union organizers” can just sit back and watch the money pour into their coffers from workers’ paychecks.
Heck, I would be a fool not to go into the union organizing business myself. Free money!
Posted by: J Baustian | April 25, 2009, 4:28 pm 4:28 pm