AFL-CIO aims to counteract anti-EFCA ads

DENVER – Kentucky labor unions are mobilizing to counteract the impact of an advertising campaign targeting Senate candidate Bruce Lunsford (D-Louisville) for supporting the Employee Free Choice Act, according to AFL-CIO Vice-President Ken Koch.

The ads attacking Lunsford claim the EFCA legislation would "take away your right to a private vote."

"The membership is outraged," Koch told PolitickerKY.com in Denver, where Koch is serving as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. "The facts are it's not taking a vote away from them, it's taking the power away from the corporation and giving it to the working people."

The EFCA legislation removes an employer's option of calling for a secret ballot vote on unionization and permits union certification when a majority of employees have signed union membership cards.

Koch said Kentucky unions were reaching out to their membership about the legislation and the ads, and hoping members push that perspective to others.

"We're getting out among our members and educating all of our members about exactly what it is," said Koch. "We're trying to get them to talk to their neighbors to spread the word, generally."

In terms of matching the anti-EFCA punch-for-punch, Koch said unions did not have the same amount of money that effort cost to match the television blitz, though some ads may be forthcoming.

"We don't have $1.2 million to try and counteract those ads out there, even though there will be some probably coming up," said Koch.

Koch noted the labor affiliate interest group "Working America" would be pushing back against the ads targeting Lunsford.

The labor organizer said membership was enthusiastic for Lunsford as a potential replacement to incumbent U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville).

"The reaction is great. It gets down to this: We need to get rid of Mitch McConnell because he has been bad for us," said Koch. "Under him, we have not gained anything, we have lost – constantly lost."