Reposting a VERY interesting post by Omaha Steve from the Labor Forum

[BrklynLiberal]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=367&topic_id=1472&mesg_id=1472

Calling the Media: Check into These Front Groups

by Tula Connell, May 23, 2007

When organizations have an agenda to push that would appall the American public—like say, encouraging pregnant women to eat mercury-laden tuna—those groups don’t want to present their case straightforwardly. Instead, they form an umbrella coalition with an innocuous-sounding name, something that resounds of apple pie and the American way. That way, their real intent remains hidden.

Several such front groups have formed now in an effort to kill a bill in Congress that would enable working people to improve their wages, health coverage and retirement security. The Employee Free Choice Act, which passed the House in March and now is in the Senate (S. 1041), seeks to level the playing field so workers can form unions without intimidation from employers.

One group, formed last year to spread lies about unions, now also is waging a multimillion dollar campaign to kill the Employee Free Choice Act. The so-called Center for Union Facts is run by Richard Berman, the same PR sleaze man who has operated multiple front groups, websites and think tanks to keep wages low for restaurant workers and block legislation on drunk driving and food safety—including telling pregnant women eating tuna is OK.

Another front group also recently has emerged—with the usual misleadingly all-American name: The Coalition for a Democratic Workplace. The group was formed to defeat the Employee Free Choice Act, which is supported by millions of U.S. workers who see the best way to address the nation’s wage stagnation and income inequality and restore America’s middle class is to have the freedom to bargain for wages and benefits.

The coalition is made up of organizations that don’t want a level playing field at the workplace, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has fought workers and their unions from the time it opened shop, and the National Association of Manufacturers.

As AFL-CIO Legislative Director Bill Samuel writes today in a column on The Hill:

You’d think that an anti-union business coalition would be laughed out of the room for trying to pretend that its multi-million-dollar lobbying campaign against labor law reform was motivated by a concern for workplace democracy.

But for some reason, inside the Beltway this absurd notion has yet to draw so much as a snicker from the media and political establishment.

FULL story at link.

http://blog.aflcio.org/2007/05/23/calling-the-media-check-into-these-front-groups

[bananas]

1. k&r nt

[blondeatlast]

2. Thank you for posting OmahaSteve's tireless efforts that too often go unnoticed.

K, R, and--oh, hell, yeah--Union? YESYESYES!

[nam78_two]

3. Oh yeah-K&R-Richard Berman is one of the sleaziest lobbyists in DC

One of his front groups used to be The Guest Choice Network which actively campaigned against the raising of the minimum wage, formation of unions etc. He has attacked a fairly wide list of non-profit groups. Since he very actively lobbies for the meat industry Humane groups campaigning for better protections for animals have always been targeted by him as well as environmental groups, labor unions, even MADD go figure.


Sourcewatch and prwatch have quite a lot on the sleazoid:
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Rick_Berman

http://www.prwatch.org/prwissues/2001Q1/berman1.html
Minimizing the Minimum Wage
The Guest Choice Network is only one of several organizations through which Berman & Co. seeks to advance the interests of the restaurant industry. It also sponsors the Employment Policies Institute (EPI), which calls itself a "non-profit research organization dedicated to studying public policy issues surrounding employment growth." In reality, EPI's mission is to oppose any increases in the minimum wage so that restaurants can continue to pay their employees as little as possible.

The Employment Policies Institute was launched in 1991, around the time of the economic recession that led to the electoral defeat of then-president George Bush, "Even the name of this new institute is misleading," noted Los Angeles Times business columnist Harry Bernstein at the time. "It calls itself EPI, the same name used for years by the older and much more progressive Economic Policy Institute," Bernstein wrote.



Pesticides
An article in the December 15,1999 copy of the Cleveland Plain Dealer describes Berman's support for Uniroyal, the company that produces Alar(tm), a pesticide used on apples. Through his Guest Choice Network (currently the Center for Consumer Freedom) Berman published a newsletter that minimized the risks of Alar to children. The newsletter stated, "According to the Environmental Protection Agency, one would have to eat 50,000 pounds of apples a day over a lifetime to contract cancer from Alar." In response, EPA spokeswoman Denise Kearns said, "To my knowledge, EPA never issued that kind of statement." In the end Berman admitted that the source of his information was a statement made by Uniroyal. Alar has since been banned due to cancer risks.

Americans with Disabilities Act
In an October 9, 1989 commentary for Nation's Restaurant News, Berman opposed the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA"). He wrote, "The ADA in its present form will cost our industry untold millions in added construction and labor costs" He begins the article with a reference to the ADA and AIDS. He stated, "Congress ... is seriously considering passage of a new law that would require employers to ignore AIDS infections among cooks and servers."

Ethics violations
In the early 1990s, Berman was tied to former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich through possible ethics violations involving Gingrich's PAC (GOPAC). In 1993, Berman made a $25,000 contribution to Kennesaw State College for Gingrich's class on "Renewing American Civilization" on condition that Gingrich teach ideas supported by EPI. House Ethics Committee reports revealed that Berman's contribution was solicited by GOPAC and that Berman had already helped GOPAC in recruiting big donors. In the cover letter to the check, Berman thanked Gingrich for his "help" in enabling Berman to testify at a Congressional hearing on another matter of interest to the industry.


But its unfair to say the media ignores the guy-USAtoday and a few others have written semi-admiring pieces on the man :eyes:. Hey it ain't easy crushing the little guy-some has to do it :


http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/2006-07-31-lobbyist-usat_x.htm

Got a nasty fight? Here's your man
Updated 7/31/2006 8:31 AM
Enlarge By H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY

Companies hire Richard Berman to be their public faceas they take on what are sure to be unpopular battles.
By Jayne O'Donnell, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — A longtime labor union official calls him Dr. Evil. The director of a consumer group says he's "sleazy" and "sophomoric." And a liberal newspaper columnist wrote that the tobacco, booze and gun lobbyists portrayed in the movie Thank You for Smoking were a "pale imitation of the reality of the Beltway's most outrageous advocate."
Even in this mudslinging city, it's hard to find a guy who provokes the sort of wrath Richard Berman does.

BERMAN'S TAKE: What the lobbyist has to say on mad cow disease, more

Berman, hired by businesses, fights efforts such as further restricting drinking and driving, mandating healthier foods and raising the minimum wage. The former labor relations lawyer argues that many of the restrictions reduce our ability to make our own choices.

He seldom mentions his clients, other than to say many are in the food and restaurant industries, and he represents them through a variety of non-profit groups he has set up. His targets range from Mothers Against Drunk Driving to the Ralph Nader-founded Center for Science in the Public Interest, which works on food issues, to labor unions.

Berman is the best, and apparently most hated, example of a third party hired by companies to be their public face as they take on unpopular battles.

[formercia]

13. Smoke out the AstroTurf Groups

The Chamber of Commerce spends hundreds of Millions to lobby using front groups, direct lobbying and advertising.

They're the biggest Protection Racket going. If you don't join, your competitor will and the CofC will torpedo your business.

[blondeatlast]

4. K. nt

[BrklynLiberal]

5. A little kick for ths Weekenders..

[bbgrunt]

6. k and r

[AzDar]

7. Kick!! n/t

[yewberry]

8. Berman's "Guest Choice Network" is now the "Center for Consumer Freedom,"

another lobbying group masquerading as a public interest nonprofit. It's a little amazing how many people buy into their heavily biased garbage, but I guess they're good at what they do.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Center_for_Consumer_Freedom

Sadly, I've even seen DUers cite CCF as a source. Yeesh.

[Clark2008]

9. Just so you know: it IS OK to eat tuna - just in small amounts.

Pregnant lady here who eats tuna about once every two weeks or so and baby is healthy as an ox.

:hi:

[senseandsensibility]

10. Kick

Yes the whole republik corporatist agenda is against the interests of the working people, so they have come up with many propaganda forums to convince us otherwise. FAUX and limpballs are nothing but propaganda outlets to distract, lie to, or confuse the people who will be hurt by their policies.

[femrap]

11. Thank you for posting this....

Everyone who works for a living needs to be aware of this!

[KoKo]

12. Thanks for pulling this out and posting it here. Worse thing is that these groups

with the "friendly names" advertise on CNN and cause thousands of people who would be horrified at what they really represent to support them. I find myself, I can't figure out who these people are when the ad disclaimer is in the fine print.

Labor Unions need to go on the attack by citing these fake groups in counter ads. The only way to expose them is by beating them at there own game and advertising heavily on CNN/Fox/MSNBC. But...there isn't the money. Those other groups have huge funding from private sources.

Truth in Advertising laws need to be tweaked. Disclaimers with more information. But, I don't know how that could be done. :shrug:

[bread_and_roses]

14. K&R for EFCA, Omaha Steve, and the OP for re-posting

Lots of good information at the links.

[Omaha Steve]

15. I thank you all for the support

It seems a day doesn't go by that I get an email from people that read my working families posts. It is humbling. I hope to continue the fight for working families on a constant basis for a long time.

Omaha Steve

[nam78_two]

16. Actually No

Thank YOU for your posts.