Hey, all, this is from Seth Michaels at AFL-CIO Now.
OMG. A labor secretary who might look out for workers?
As an op-ed in today's Los Angeles Times makes clear, President-elect Barack Obama's selection of Rep. Hilda Solis as secretary of labor is too terrible to contemplate. "A Disastrous Pick for Labor Secretary," shouts the headline by author, Bret Jacobson, who tries to terrify readers by telling them that Solis is—gasp—looked on favorably by leaders in the union movement and worst of all, supports the Employee Free Choice Act.
Solis doesn't hide the fact that she's a longtime friend to workers and will be a great advocate for safe workplaces, fair treatment and the freedom to form unions and bargain.
But what's Bret Jacobson hiding, and why is he so scared of a pro-worker secretary of labor?
Jacobson isn't a neutral observer and he isn't, as the L.A. Times credulously allows him to calls himself, simply a "research and communications" consultant. In fact, he's the sidekick to slime-lobbyist Rick Berman, the corporate hack whose career features attacks on Mothers Against Drunk Driving for the alcohol industry. (Jane, Gregg and Scarecrow have done a great job of keeping an eye on Berman and the media outlets who rely on him for anti-union quotes.)
Jacobson and Berman founded the misnamed "Center for Union Facts," one of the central corporate front groups in the long-standing campaign against workers' rights. And Jacobson is the founder of a firm specifically hired to protect corporations from unions, consumers and public oversight.
rest at http://firedoglake.com/2008/12/23/come-out-of-hiding-bret-jacobsen/
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