Today is the birthday of legendary Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins, the first woman to serve in a Cabinet position. It’s probably good that Frances never had to see Elaine Chao’s administration. For while the two women served in the same position, Frances and Elaine could hardly be more different:

Fire Safety Awareness

• Frances once said “The continued existence of industrial hazards, both accident and health, in our great American factories is one of our oldest disgraces”. Witnessing the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, in which hundreds of workers died in a locked factory, led a young Frances to redouble her efforts to fight workplace hazards.
• Under Elaine’s watch, the Labor Department has been asleep at the wheel when it comes to worker safety. And Elaine has done nothing to require regulation of combustible dust—even after a tragic explosion in Georgia killed twelve workers.

Respect for Unions

• Frances supported workers’ rights to organize unions and bargain collectively: the National Labor Relations Act was passed during her tenure.
• Elaine, on the other hand, is hostile to unions and actively campaigned against bipartisan legislation that restores the rights of workers to freely and fairly form unions.

(more…)

Thousands of our readers voted on Elaine’s “Worst of the Worst” actions during her time running the Department of Labor. With so many messed up priorities, it’s hard to determine which are the most egregious, but the people have spoken and the top three results are as follows:

5,615 votes - Against Workers’ Rights - Elaine actively campaigned against the Employee Free Choice Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation that restores the rights of workers to freely and fairly form unions.

5,435 votes - Safety - Elaine refused to enforce rules requiring employers to pay for safety gear, contributing to 400,000 workers injured and 50 dead.

3,901 votes - Corporate Cronies - Elaine fast-tracked coal mining executives, anti-union lawyers, and shady lobbyists to positions of power in her agency, including one who wrote a report titled “How to Close Down the Department of Labor.”

A random drawing will take place quickly for those who voted…stay tuned as we’ll announce the winner soon!

One can simply read yesterday’s op-ed by President Clinton’s Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich, to be reminded of how important it is to have a Secretary of Labor who actually understands the need for workers to be able to form or join unions freely and fairly.

“Nowadays, even though polls show most workers would organize a union if they could, the process is so complicated that it’s rare they even get to choose…it’s been difficult for low-wage workers to organize themselves into unions. Employers often fire or intimidate those who take the lead.”

Reich is correct in pointing out the resistance workers across America face every day as they struggle to earn a voice in the workplace that advocates on their behalf. And in examining Elaine’s strong opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act, the comparison of her priorities compared to the notable figures that preceded her is stark.

(more…)

When the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill that makes it easier for workers to collectively bargain in the workplace, was introduced in Congress in early 2007, Elaine and Mitch began misleading the public about the legislation and working for its defeat.

Speaking to a group of corporate insiders in March 2007, Elaine stated, “It is very important this bill be defeated on the Hill and defeated soundly.”

We snuck into that speech to corporate insiders and grabbed video of Elaine’s rant against the Employee Free Choice Act. The video is of poor quality, but it’s the words that matter. Watch the video here: