Over the summer, Mitt Romney held a campaign event in Beallsville, Ohio, with a group coal miners, which was soon after turned into a television ad in the Buckeye State. But as it turns out, the closer one looks at the campaign stop, the more interesting it becomes.
For one thing, the miners used as props by the Romney campaign lost pay during the event, and were "forced to attend." The Obama campaign even put out an ad of its own on this a few days ago.
This week, however, the story took another twist. The mine in question is owned by Robert Murray, an ardent Romney backer and major GOP donor. He's the one, of course, who told the miners that "attendance" at the campaign photo-op was "mandatory." As Alec MacGillis reports, that's not all he's accused of doing.
Since 2007, employees of Murray Energy and its subsidiaries, along with their families and the Murray PAC, have contributed over $1.4 million to Republican candidates for federal office. Murray's fund-raisers have feted the likes of Scott Brown, Rand Paul, David Vitter, Carly Fiorina, and Jim DeMint. Home-state pols get love, too. Murray's PAC and staffers are the sixth-largest source for Ohio senatorial hopeful Josh Mandel. They've given $720,000 to candidates for state office in the past decade.
Internal Murray documents show just how upset Murray becomes when employees fail to join the giving. In missives, he cajoles employees to attend fund-raisers and scolds them when they or their subordinates do not. In cases of low participation, reminders from his lieutenants have included tables or spreadsheets showing how each of the eleven Murray subsidiaries was performing. And at least one note came with a list of names of employees who had not yet given. "What is so difficult about asking a well-paid, salaried employee to give us three hours of his/her time every two months?" Murray writes in a March 2012 letter. "We have been insulted by every salaried employee who does not support our efforts."
Wait, it gets worse.
MacGillis' report added:
The pressure to give begins as soon as employees enter the company, the Murray sources say. At the time of hiring, supervisors tell employees that they are expected to contribute to the company PAC by automatic payroll deduction -- typically 1 percent of their salary, a level confirmed by a 2008 letter to employees from the PAC's treasurer. (That letter also assures employees that they would not be "disadvantaged" by not giving.) Employees are given a form to sign, explaining that the giving is voluntary. "In the interview ... I was told that I would be expected to make political contributions -- that [Murray] just expected that," says the first source. "But I was told not to worry about it, because my bonuses would more than make up what I would be asked to contribute."
If you're thinking this sounds legally dubious, you're not the only one.
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So the giving is mandatory, but no one is forced to give?
This Republican has mastered Newspeak well.
Hey, only unions do this, not management. These miners better pony up and look happier, they looked like Green Bay fans after the "touchdown pass". When I'm around Romney, I look like a champ...
Unions don't have the authority to fire workers. Management does. Contributions to union PACs are truly voluntary, because neither direct or indirect discipline can be brought against someone who chooses not to give.
Not the same thing at all.
Management also controls raises and promotions.
I wonder, do the Republicans want U.S. to become the first pay to work country?
It's commonly referred to as a joke, MP. I have found attempts at humor and irony to be theraputic when dealing with the current right wingers. I watched portions of that speech by Romney live, and I was kind of bummed out that the backdrop of those blue collars made pretty good TV. But like all current events these days that involve Republicans, it was a fraud.
Guess what Romney's getting for Christmas, a box of it.
cash money?
What do you get "the man who has everything"? More!
May that coal serve him well in h....
Add Murray Energy mine safety record (dismal) and the result is a very ugly picture.
19th Century Coal Barons are alive and well in the 21st Century. Welcome to Appalachia, where the past is definitely not dead, and definitely not even passed.
Are you suggesting that not "giving" can have worse consequences than just being fired?
whats the bet that somewhere in all of this employees were encouraged to "Disclose" the identities of known registered Democrats or people who contributed to other parties or campaigns than those approved and supported by the management's PAC?
If the miners have a union, then that is the body that should file a grievance and complaint with the NLRB. There may be a state and federal labor law that might be applicable. Nothing could be better than watching the mine owner having to reimburse everyone for time and contributions as well as monitoring by the appropriate federal and state agencies.
They shouldn't even have to file the grievance. The U. S.. Department of Labor should step in, investigate this, and take action against Murray.
Too bad Murray doesn't believe that worker safety is equally important. Maybe there would be more miners alive to "give" to his "charities."
This is wrong on so many levels.
It's a non-union company. Murray's the perfect example of what happens when you "trust the boss to do the right thing." He always does the Right Thing.
Can anyone say captive audience? This is a Walker wet dream. Anyone who votes Republican is voting for just this kind of American future.
US workers, take heart. There'll be liberal strawmen to blame and happy pills for your depression, if Prozac covered by religiocorporate health insurance. If not, just have another baby...
NeedMoreCoffee - love your term "religiocorporate." Absolutely on spot!
It's a nonunionized mine. You think a UMWA mine would have put up with that "you lose a day's pay and you'd better show up?" stunt.
But it sounds like the people he's pressuring to give to his PAC are the white collar and soft-hands guys in the office.
Can you Please keep Global-Tech in your queue?
Someone needs to ask Romney "What About Global-Tech?"
http://whateverworks4you.blogspot.com/2012/07/dear-mr-romney-what-about-global-tech.html
And link it to the Obama Commercial about the Chinese Factory in this link: http://youtu.be/kweMVAHE6vA
And... the part of Romney's secret now known quaint story about the Factory in China with the barbed wire... When I explain these things to people I know... many of them don't believe this man could be so callous. Please, let people know about this stuff!
what a complete @!$%# with his "astonishment" that employees won't just roll over and "give" three hours of free labor so he can contribute the profit he makes from their sweat to some political candidate they don't support.
In Soviet Russia, Miner must give to party! Or loos job!
I wonder how much 3 hours of Murray's time is worth? How would he feel if he was forced to donate that much to the Obama campaign?
Mr. Murray should be required to repay each of his employees with interest and penalties what he/she "donated."
We aren't even keeping political influence out of the tax-exempt religious orgs. Political nonpartisanship is not mandatory for private sector businesses the way it is for government and their contracted interests.
Workers either abide by the company rules or depart for less stringent lands. And since the lauded job creators aren't creating, workers are conveniently locked down where they are.
Mining, that clean coal Mitt was talking about?
Let me guess, poll watchers have the ability to see how his employees actually vote...
The repubs never say which regulations they want to get rid of,,, I'll bet mr. murray doesn't have those qualms. Less recourse for injuries and safety violations. Judgeing from the rummy campaign, fraud is legal now.
For salaried employees, the BONUS more than makes up for the 1% VOLUNTARY contribution to the PAC. And there's absolutely no chance that anybody is going to have that PAC donor list when they decide the bonuses, right? R-i-ght.
This is pretty clearly using the "discretionary" bonus program to fund the PAC. Which is illegal.
As for the hourly employees, they have NO UNION. Therefore they aren't contributing to any PAC through union dues. And, they have no one to complain to (except the media) when they are coerced into attending a rally while the mine is shut down for Romney's visit.
I understand that the company was not required to run the mine that day, and actually it would be illegal to pay the workers to attend the rally. But if there was no pay, the workers should have felt free to stay home. Some did, and apparently they weren't fired. But most felt pressured to attend. Whether that coercion exceeded the bounds of election law, is for a court to decide.
Here's to those coal miners -- "Solidarity" from "Billy Elliot: The Musical":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjOHTWzJ2bg
(The song is about faux solidarity between the union miners and the cops policing their strike. Things for miners here are probably not as bad as conditions in Maggie Thatcher's England in 1984 but many of the show's themes resonate in our current environment.)