From the Diaries by Leon…

Keith Impink runs Westmoreland Electric, a small business in Tarrs, Pennsylvania which was founded in 1988 with two employees and a truck.  His company, now 65 employees strong, is the type of job creator we should empower to move our state and country out of these difficult economic times.

The painful irony for local job creators like Keith is their very own Congressman, Tim Murphy, has consistently voted to make it harder for small businesses to grow, thrive and prosper.

Small business can’t compete against Big Labor, and it’s tough to find a more reliable vote for Big Labor than Tim Murphy.  And it’s really no surprise why: Half of his top ten campaign contributors are labor unions.  In fact, according to a recent report, Murphy receives more money from Big Labor than all but six of his Republican colleagues.

And what does Big Labor get In return? Murphy enthusiastically supports all of Big Labor’s priorities:  forced union labor on government contracts, Davis-Bacon wages, and Big Labor’s favorite, “card check.”

Card check, legislation laughably titled “The Employee Free Choice Act,” eliminates the right of employees and union members to a secret ballot in union elections.  Instead of an anonymous vote, union bosses can coerce, harass, and threaten employees to sign a card as a vote to unionize.  This is an anti-worker bill, which is why 70 percent of employees oppose card check.

But it’s a nice deal for union bosses and politicians and a vicious cycle of political “pay to play.”  Card check increases unionization; more union members increase union dues; and padded union coffers help re-elect self-interested politicians like Tim Murphy.

Card check is a classic example of politicians putting their jobs before the jobs of their constituents.

Studies show that card check will kill as many as 600,000 jobs because as the government gives union bosses more power by forcing more employees to unionize, employers will be forced to lay off workers to pay for the increased labor costs.  Why would Pittsburgh want to mimic Detroit?

A year after casting this anti-jobs, anti-worker vote, Murphy reiterated his unwavering support for Big Labor’s agenda:  “On the Employee Free Choice Act, I voted for it in the past and I plan on continuing to vote for it in the future… Everybody’s got to stick together on this.”

Suddenly, after years of kowtowing to union wishes, Murphy seems to be changing his tune.  In a letter sent to Mr. Impink at Westmoreland Electric, Murphy writes:  “I did vote for [card check] five years ago.  But if it were brought up again for a vote in the House, I would not vote for it.”

Murphy’s hypocrisy led the Pittsburgh Tribune Review’s editorial pages to label him “a weasel.”

His flip-flop is no surprise:  my primary challenge has brought out Murphy’s never-before-seen conservative side.   Plus, the winds of political expediency are shifting as unions’ political power is waning.  Murphy is a loyal supporter of Big Labor’s priorities… until it becomes a political liability.

Murphy’s record on labor policy is unacceptable.   The people of Western PA deserve a Congressman who will put their job before his own.

The author, Evan Feinberg, is a Congressional Candidate in the 18th District of Pennsylvania, challenging Tim Murphy.   You can read more at www.evanfeinberg.com.