Portland: Union Workers Physically Attack Worker Free Choice Rally

August 25, 2008 | Filed Under Business, Democrats/Leftists, Media Bias, News, Publius Contributor, Society/Culture, Unions, Warner Todd Huston |

-By Warner Todd Huston

With more on the card check battle, we have a rally against Unions set up in Portland, Maine where members of the SEIU and the AFL-CIO confronted the pro-choice advocates in a typically uncivil, even threatening, union manner. One union thug even turned over a display table, trying to prevent the pro-choice folks from setting up their displays.

From reports from the scene (video here), the union thugs spat upon the pro-choicers, swore at them and generally impeded their ability to engage in free and fair debate.

John Henke, From a participant at the rally, described what was endured.

I just came from a press conference held by the US Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the Maine State Chamber of Commerce. It was held in Portland and dealt with the EFCA [Employee Free Choice Act - i.e., Card Check]. …

After the news conference we went on the US Chambers special bus to Monument Square in the center of Portland. There were at least 75 union members holding a protest rally against the Chamber and in support of the EFCA. The interesting thing is the protest was organized by the Maine Democratic Party.

There were about 15 of us on the bus and nobody wanted to get off, so I led the way. We were heckled, swore at, and called some names. One of the young ladies from the chamber tried to set up some tables and put leaflets and information on it and the protesters kicked the tables over on the lady who was not hurt. …

[T]his protest is exactly why businesses have to work to defeat this bill. When you disagree with organized labor they resort to bullying, intimidation, and peer pressure. Why would any business want to subject their employees to that type of intimidation and bullying …

All, in all, pretty much what we expect from violence prone unions. And the fact that it was the Maine Democratic Party that organized the union thugs must not go without notice. If this sort of behavior isn’t a perfect example of why unions and their lapdogs in the Democratic Party are against democracy and our business community (you know, that business community that makes this country one of the strongest economies in the world?) then nothing does. It also shows what will happen to people who want the American freedom of being able to chose for themselves should unions get even more power.

Again, I remind one and all, that Barack Obama is in favor of giving unions untrammeled power to intimidate workers, eliminate the ages old democratic process of the secret ballot, and cause our businesses to further fall behind the rest of the world in competitiveness. And from the thuggish behavior we’ve seen in Portland, we can see what is in store for us should Obama win the White House.

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Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer, has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and is featured on many websites such as newsbusters.org, townhall.com, New Media Journal, Men’s News Daily and the New Media Alliance among many, many others. Additionally, he has been a frequent guest on talk-radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events. He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the new book “Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture” which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of publiusforum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions : EMAIL Warner Todd Huston