Public Employee Press

The World of Work
The big lie
Funded by right-wing interests, the Center for Union Facts cranks out distortions about the labor movement.

He’s Corporate America’s attack dog against unions.

Richard Berman — a public relations master of spinning lies and distorting the truth to support right-wing causes — is waging a multi-million dollar disinformation campaign against unions.

Berman’s year-old organization, the Center for Union Facts, is attacking unions just as the labor movement is becoming more aggressive by stepping up its political activity and organizing.

“It’s very clear that there are various right-wing interests behind Berman,” said Chuck Loveless, legislative director of DC 37’s national union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. “These people have a virulent anti-union agenda.”

Smearing unions
Berman’s attempt to taint unions as hopelessly corrupt and undermine their moral authority to speak for working families and retirees comes as organized labor prepares to fight for the Democrats’ progressive economic and political agenda. After winning control of the U.S. House and Senate in the November elections, Democratic legislators are supporting a hike in the minimum wage, government regulation of drug prices for Medicare recipients, a reduction in interest rates for student college loans, and cutting in tax breaks for oil companies.

The Center for Union Facts seeks to block legislation that would make organizing easier by allowing a majority of workers to sign cards in favor of union representation rather than going through the cumbersome electoral process overseen by the National Labor Relations Board.

In its campaign against the legislation, the center has described labor’s support for the “card check” proposal as anti-democratic. The ads conveniently ignore how businesses sabotage representation elections by firing and intimidating pro-union workers, hiring anti-union consultants and threatening to shut down plants.

Around the country, the center has run a television ad that depicts unionized clerical workers in motor vehicle departments as lazy and discourteous. Another ad shows a student in a classroom charging that teachers unions use union dues to block education reform and pay their national president $300,000.

One newspaper ad headlined “The New Union Label” shows a padlocked plant gate. “Brought to you by the union ‘leaders’ who helped bankrupt steel, auto, and airline companies,” the ad says.

Playing up the negative stereotype of “union bosses,” another ad with the headline “Big Labor’s Country Club” shows a smiling white guy with a cigar and golf club bag.

The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington charges that the center has violated the tax code by claiming to be a charitable organization, when in fact the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has funneled $8 million to Berman to support the group.

“Corporations are paying them to spread lies about unions. There is no charitable purpose here,” said Melanie Sloan, executive director of CREW. Berman, 62, is a former labor lawyer for the Chamber of Commerce and the Bethlehem Steel Corp. He is now president of Berman and Company, which has represented the tobacco lobby, attacked consumer and health groups and worked to discredit Mothers Against Drunk Driving on behalf of the alcohol industry.

Lee Cokorinos, a researcher who tracks right-wing think tanks and institutions, says the Center for Union Facts is part of a growing anti-labor national network of conservative and pro-business groups.

“The center is part of a political contract against labor,” said Cokorinos. “Why labor? They are concerned that a major renewal of labor organizing would cost big business big money.”