Fighting Card Check

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Fighting Card Check

• A strategic approach concentrating in the
  Heartland of America.

2
The Looming Problem

• The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) - Leading the
  parade of damaging proposals to change the
  balance between employer and employee and
  damagejob creation.

3
The Good News

• Several pro-business, Washington-based
  organizations have formed a coalition to mount a
  DC-focused public relations campaign against Card
  Check.
• However, their efforts rely on a call your
  Congressman media pitch and traditional lobbying
  on Capitol Hill, with no plans to do much at the
  district level.

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The Challenge

• National organizations traditionally must protect
  their long-term congressional relationships.
• The kinder and gentler approach is useful, but
  lacks a hard-hitting, district-focused campaign.
• What we need is a point of the spear approach at
  the local level to augment the national efforts.

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Enter the
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The Economic Freedom Alliance

• The Economic Freedom Alliance (EFA), a
  non-federal 527, was founded in 2008 to educate
  the public and highlight the ideas and
  accomplishments of candidates who support free
  enterprise principles.
• The supporters of this effort felt that the
  advocacy of strong free market principals had
  gone wanting for far too long and a new voice was
  needed.

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The Economic Freedom Alliance

• EFA was active in several congressional districts
  in Illinois and now stands ready to bring the
  fight to defeat the EFCA by

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The Economic Freedom Alliance

• Customizing a program to fill the needs unique to
  each state involved, and each congressional
  district within those states
• Making those identified members of Congress feel
  as if the next intense campaign cycle has
  immediately begun with a central message about
  the harmful effects of Card Check
• Providing all of the above points while
  maintaining the strict ethical, regulatory and
  procedural standards set forth by law and each
  organizations bylaws.

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Since 2000, we have seen so-called Blue Dog
Democrats successfully defeat incumbent
Republicans or take the open GOP seat when given
the opportunity.
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For many of those Democrats, the payment due
bill, in the guise of Card Check legislation,
has arrivedand union bosses now expect their
payment in full.
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EFA is preparing for a Card Check campaign with
the following assumptions

• There will be a number of national associations
  (i.e. U.S. Chamber and NAM) working hard to stop
  Card Check legislation. Their efforts will be
  focused a broad audience, and will be an
  important element to the overall effort.
• The EFA will become the POINT OF THE SPEAR
• Working at the GRASSROOTS level
• Placing ads on district-level television and
  radio
• Using a no-holds-barred approach

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The union story line is that they protect workers
and middle class and wages. The truth is

• The removal of a secret ballot in union matters
  is an invasion of privacy and a violation of the
  most basic American right
• Without jobs there are no wages to
  protect(continues)

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The union story line is that they protect workers
and middle class and wages. The truth is

• The collective result of these proposed draconian
  union measures pending in this Congress will be
  to damage the ability for U.S. business to
  compete in a global economy
• Card Check and other initiatives of big union
  bosses will push jobs out of the Midwest to Right
  to Work states, or worse yet, overseas and will
  enflame class warfare in this nation.

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While the final battle over Card Check will
likely occur in the Senate, it is important to
minimize the House vote margin. We believe that
can be accomplished through effectively targeting
key Democratic Members of Congress and show
support for those who are willing to stand up
against Union Bosses.
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While the secret ballot piece of Card Check is
clearly the most nuclear -- some believe that
the secret ballot element may be dropped in
exchange for immediate mandatory forced
arbitration

• Opening the door to federal intervention of
  businesses
• Preventing workers from voting on a contract for
  two years and
• Unilaterally exposing business owners to criminal
  penalties.

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Our efforts are being feltPolling Weve
polled nearly 40,000 Midwestern taxpayers in six
Midwestern states on Card Check.Results nearly
73 OPPOSE Card Check.In union households up to
83 oppose it. Only 15-16 support it.
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Those large-sample polls not only are used to
send a message into Congressional offices, but
also provide us with a huge database of
supporters from the Heartland.Later, well call
on those supporters to communicate with their
congressmen at critical junctures.
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Illinois has started an ongoing program to
encourage 20 phone calls a day opposing Card
Check into that states three target
congressional district offices.So far, it has
generated more than 700 live phone callsand
counting.As more funds are raised, well
implement this program into other states as well.
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PAID MEDIAWisconsin Illinois have ongoing
anti-EFCA radio advertisements that are becoming
increasingly pointed. Soon, Indiana Minnesota
will be kicking off their ads as well.
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Some of our affiliategroups have also
placednewspaper ads (sample from Illinois,
right) with more to come.
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In general, EFA resources go to such activities
as

• Executing survey and opposition research
• Message development for radio television
  advertising
• Placement of Opinion Editorials
• Facilitating participation in broadcast and print
  interviews providing the faces, facts and
  viewpoints on why EFCA is bad public policy
• Educational seminars for businesses impacted by
  EFCA
• Video/emails featuring Manufacturing Leadership
  with information and call to action to
  manu-facturing members across the six-state
  region
• Preparation and production of collateral
  materials, direct mail, postcards
• Preparation of ,and distribution of suggested
  talking points for phone, letter, fax
  communications to elected officials
• Expansion of EFA Card check activities in the
  states of Arkansas, North Dakota and Missouri
• Roundtable meetings held in Illinois, Minnesota,
  Wisconsin with key business leaders and allied
  associations
• Engagement of local elected officials (i.e. State
  Senators, State Representatives, City/County
  officials) opposed to card check for support in
  their respective communications and meetings with
  federal officials

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• More details to this program will be forthcoming,
  and regular communications will be the hallmark
  of our effort.
• Questions?