We've talked a bit lately about business leaders using heavy-handed election tactics, pressuring their employees to support Mitt Romney, apparently at the candidate's behest. A new example out of Wisconsin is one of the more striking cases to date.
Mike White, the chairman and owner of Rite-Hite, a major Milwaukee manufacturer of industrial equipment, told employees in an email this week that all employees "should understand the personal consequences to them of having our tax rates increase dramatically if President Obama is re-elected, forcing taxpayers to fund President Obama's future deficits and social programs (including Obamacare), which require bigger government."
The email stunned some employees. One employee said he felt threatened by the email. "It's a good company, but for this to come out, it's absurd," the employee said.
The employee said even supervisors were surprised by the tone of the email.
White's email said he didn't intend to "prejudice any employee," but nevertheless urged them to "think carefully."
As a substantive matter, it's worth noting that Rite-Hite owner appears confused about several key policy areas. White, for example, said his workers' personal income taxes would "increase dramatically" under a second term, which is at odds with all existing tax proposals. He also makes it sound as if it's impossible for a business to thrive with top marginal rates from the 1990s.
But even putting policy accuracy aside, it continues to be unnerving to find employers issuing vague threats about "personal consequences" to their employees. It is, as best as I can tell, legal, but the pressure and coercion from Romney allies -- who appear to be following Romney's own instructions -- is a bit much.
As The Atlantic's Adam Clark Estes recently put it, "It's not technically illegal for employers to tell their employees how to vote. That doesn't mean that it's ethical or understandable or even acceptable to connect people's livelihoods with their political beliefs. There's a fine line between an employer telling an employee, 'Vote Romney!' and a boss telling a subordinate, 'Vote Romney, or else!' At least, in the eyes of the inevitably subordinate employees there's not."
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Why is this legal?
Citizens United.
Relax. Citizens United didn't replace the secret ballot.
Secret ballot? How about you get a write-in ballot, fill it out, and hand it to your boss. Who of course, will mail it for you. . .
Employer intimidation in any form should be illegal. Employers hold critical economic power. Sexual harassment in the workplace is illegal because the employer has power. Ask Bill O'Reilly about that. Let's hope that Congress will address the issue of employer abuse of power after the Democrats regain control of the House in January and Obama is reelected.
I am beginning to think that employer intimidation may be causing some of the recent polls to be skewed. An employer has a list of employees and "checks up" to see whether the employees have "got the message" that they should vote for Romney. Many workers may think it is the employer who is calling and they "play it safe" and say "Romney" even if they intend to vote for Obama. The closeness of the women vote in some of these polls may reflect women workers who don't want to take a chance that it is the boss calling, so they say "Romney." This is just one way that abuse of power in the workplace can have destructively negative consequences.
By the way, Georgia Pacific is one of the companies that has issued such a letter. The Koch Brothers own Georgia Pacific.
So, extortion is now legal in the US as long as the right people (pun intended) do it. So much for "American exceptionalism".
Yet another piece of evidence the uber-rich want to turn our American Exceptionalism into a Banana Republic!
I hope wage-earners everywhere carry the "you-may-pay-my-wage, but-you're-not-the-boss-of-me" attitude with them when they enter the ballot booth! -Kevo
Nothing like this matters. Everyone knows the FEC is the most feckless government agency there is, and they will not ever step on Republican toes.
When will they send in the "Pinkerton guards" to show these employee's they mean business?
"Rite-Hite"? What do they make, trees in Michigan?
Too funny:)
Brown dog I looked it up,they make industrial loading dock and door equipment.I hope there are some good democrat business owner's that remember this company when they need that type equipment.I think we hurt chic a filet and papa john's, I heard they are staying on the sideline's for the rest of the campaign.
Durn! You beat me to it!!
If my employer did this, they get it back with "I quit" written on it. That goes for either candidate.
It's probably only legal because they include some language about "not telling you how to vote," while strongly urging/suggesting that their jobs are in jeopardy.
Why do these CEOs ignore that the Romney/Ryan plan will run deficits to fund tax cuts for the CEOs and military programs. Oh wait, never mind.
These CEOs are saying that it is unacceptable for them to have to pay an additional 3.5% in taxes (as they once did) and that if they do the company's employees will pay the consequences. Let's assume the CEO knows how to run his company and it is being run as efficiently as possible - if he fires some employee(s) to make up for his additional taxes, he will upset the formerly optimal workings of his company, possibly losing more money than he is saving.
I don't want to hurt the employees of these companies, but I am personally boycotting them. I haven't had a Papajohn's pizza since they complained about a potential $0.17 increase per pizza to implement Obamacare, nor have I had anything from Chick-fil-a.
I also will no longer stay at any Westgate Resort, although after my kids got lice there from their unwashed sheets, I wasn't going to anyway.
I agree. Vote with your pocketbook. You don't have to buy the Koch brothers' paper products either. If businesses want to be openly political, they should face the consequences.
Why, exactly, do they do this via email??? Jeez, if they're going to do ethically questionable things they could at least keep it off the record, say, with impromptu staff meetings with ominous eye contact.
Oh, but maybe they're too cowardly to say this to someone's face...
Sometimes I think a Romney administration would be the best thing for the country. Sort of a slap in the face and a wake-up call.
After the Reagan attempt and Dubya attempt to do these things without succeeding, people still fall for it.
As my right-wing buddies say, "The country is totally uninformed"
You would have thought Dubya's 1st term would have been a wake up call, but it wasn't and he got elected again. But apparently there was a wake up call in 2010 when the black guy didn't turn the country around fast enough, and the incoming teatards took back the house and proceeded to obstruct to the ruin of us all.
We can't afford the potentially decades long damage that a Romney administration may wreak (on healthcare, medicare, social security, reproductive rights, voting rights, the middle class, medicaid, a living wage, etc.).
The public is skewered on misinformation so polluted our media ought to be declared a Super Fund site.
Wait, I thought the media was just the propaganda arm of Obama's government (the "liberal" media always seems to become a government agency when there's a Democrat in office).
I haven't looked up any of them, but I wonder how many newspapers that are endorsing romney are Murdoch controlled.
All the Germans who thought letting Hitler get into office would "speed the revolution" discovered they were wrong, and so are you.
It sure sounds like a hostile work environment to me and while it might immediately cause one to think about quitting, in some places this employer might be the only game in town.
It would for sure certain convince me to vote for the "other guy" though had I not already been convinced.
Here's their website http://www.ritehite.com/index.php The "about us" section says this:
So you see, here's another guy who "inherited" it from Daddy, but I'm sure "he built it himself." So, of course, he has the attitude that "he" is doing all the giving, and EEs do the taking. Every penny he "gives" to "you people" is a penny out of his pocket. So, sure, the Bookends' supposed plan sounds good to him.
Nathan Hale; "I regret that i have but one life to give for my country."
Patrick Henry; "Give me liberty or give me death."
These and others were struggling against an idea - the Divine Right of kings, people who, by fate, by the grace of god, by a combination of events outside their control, were in positions of power and felt it their Divine Right to make decisions for others.
"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal..."
You either believe that taxation without representation is inherently self destructive or you don't. The Teaparty/Taliban fear women making personal choices, fear others making decisions. They justify shooting 14 year olds in the head and disenfranchising their fellow Americans because of their Divine Right to do so.
McCain, Ayotte and company hope to display their integrity by distancing themselves from a politically hot topic but demonstrate their LACK of integrity by continuing to support the leader of a Republican party that has spent OUR tax dollars in attempts to deny Americans that most basic of rights, the right to vote.
Can't this be called "voter intimidation" or coercion?
Only if a Democrat does it...
So they are intimidating workers now. They have been intimidating voters all along and they are also trying to intimidate women into believing their best economic interests are served by helping the rich get richer. Can women be intimidated this way? I don't think so!
Yay!! My state makes the news for awful reasons again!!
(sigh)......
Hang in there, SPR. WI's got some great folks, present company included.
And for further reading info, they can Read about Gov. Walker and His Model WEDC Agency!!
Feel your pain (embarrassment) SouthpawsRock...here in Arizona, we are constantly humiliated by our State government!
Hey, don't fret, you're not alone. A large portion of my state (PA) is known as "MississippYlvania" ;-/
How to guarantee your underpaid ticked off workforce will vote for Obama? Tell them not to!
Nothing would tick me off more than a boss telling me how to vote or live my life. What kind of people does this company employ, paranoid psychotics who still breast feed?
The various Protestant sects disagree on a number of things, but they all agree with Martin Luther that no man, no priest or pope, stands between any man and his Creator.
The separation of church and state acknowledges this ideal.
As a man, I can only imagine that contemplating abortion would be soul wrenching. But as Jesus told the woman after the crowd of angry men had left in shame, "I do not judge you. Go and try to find peace."
What human being has never prayed for mercy for their self, and justice for others?
To those who would add prison to another human's burdens when they are trying to find peace for their soul in a difficult time, I say, "I do not judge you. Go and try to find peace."
Wouldn't be nice if all the workers just walked out on him. By the time he could hire new workers his business would be in free fall. It is time workers started to dictate to the bosses a little, because without workers a boss is just self-employed.
Lotta WI folks in ND oil patch, not because they want to be, but because they need the work. This guy could fill the ranks with temps and scabs pretty quick.
The job situation is what is giving employers the dubious power to say garbage like this, it's an employers market and they know workers can't really leave or talk back right now.
It has long been established by multiple businesses that taxes have no influence what-so-ever on employment...none. Businesses hire according to need to keep up with demand for goods and services they provide. Whether they make $10 mil in profits or $5mil profit and $5mil paid in taxes they still will keep employment exactly as needed to maintain profits.
Let me say it again...BUSINESS TAXES HAVE NO INFLUENCE ON EMPLOYMENT. To suggest otherwise is just a sham.
Anyone in business knows that you don't talk about sex, politics and religion.
Joe Ricketts has some family issues to begin with, his daughter supports Obama. But let's forget about that.
Ricketts has decided to openly support Romney. The family got a lot of flack for the ad Ricketts was going to use highlighting Rev. Wright. Anyhow, Joe has given the Romney campaign a few million dollars.
Oh and as a side, the Ricketts family currently owns the Chicago Cubs. They are trying to get the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois to come up with money to help them improve Wrigley Field. They're looking for the city to come up with 150 of the 300 million to rehab Wrigley.
Joe and his family were surprised when his requests to meet with mayor Emmanuel to discuss the above was turned down.
Actions have consequences.
I actually know this man. I should refrain from noting my relationship, but let's just say I have been to his home and I know his family. They are not hurting one but in the last 4 years, flying on private jets for all vacations and owning the largest and most obscenely over the top home I have ever seen. I almost threw up reading this and knowing what kind of wealth Mr. White has
Wow, these "job creators" are exceedingly willing to become "job destroyers" if their marginal tax rate increases, at all.
And then, they tell their poorest employees that it's because the tax increases will go towards (evil) social programs (those same employees are using- especially if they're female and getting paid 65-75% of their male counterparts).
More like "job threateners," if you ask me!
2ooo years ago, when the Teaparty/Taliban asked Jesus to shoot a woman in the head for disagreeing with the local patriarch, he respectfully declined, saying he felt it wasn't his place to come between another human and their Creator.
Today, John McCain, Kelly Ayotte, Todd Akin, Paul Ryan and company are certain they know better.
Divine Right has established their bona fides to make decisions for all Americans. With such divine intervention, why do mere mortals need to vote?
Look at what's happening at Romney's bidding with his just being a candidate. Multiply it a million times over if voters reward his campaign -- one that knows no sense of right and wrong -- with the presidency.
Why can't the media report a simple fact.
If you hire employees it is a TAX DEDUCTION.
If you fire employees you lose that TAX DEDUCTION.
Steve...
A prudent business person does not hire a $60,000 employee to save $15,000 in taxes...
A smart individual does not make a $1000 tax deductible contribution to a charity to save $250 in taxes...
just saying..
Did you see the crowd behind Romney in Cincinnati today? The looks on their faces were priceless. They would have preferred to be getting a root canal than standing behind Romney.