Carroll: A balance of bullying

By Vincent Carroll, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published March 6, 2007 at midnight

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"I agree with those who say a secret ballot process is preferable in most cases, and think that the burden of proof is on those who say that an alternative should be used."

- Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., last Thursday in debate over legislation that would abolish the requirement for secret ballots in union-organizing votes

Hurray for Udall, right? With the possible exception of trial lawyers, there is no interest group with as much clout in Democratic Party politics as unions. And yet in last week's debate over an atrocious bill that would eliminate the most fundamental guarantee of electoral fairness - the secret ballot - Udall seemed to stand up to unions and state the obvious truth.

But here's the weird twist: Despite recognizing the importance of secret ballots, Udall voted for the measure that would abolish them, justifying his vote with the argument that the National Labor Relations Board is tilted "too far toward allowing employers to intimidate union organizers."

The logic seems to be as follows: If employers are allowed to intimidate union organizers then union organizers should be allowed to intimidate workers.

A balance of bullying, as it were.

Let's say the NLRB really is as unfair as advertised by Democrats. Wouldn't a more reasonable approach be to address its policies in legislation?

Indeed, Udall himself suggested as much in his remarks last week.

Anyone who has been a member of a union (I've belonged to two, the Teamsters and the Newspaper Guild) knows how pressure can be applied to keep workers in line.

Many years ago at a union meeting in Minneapolis, I spoke out with some passion against a proposed strike against the papers there. I'd hardly arrived home before I was fielding the first of several calls from union "friends" outlining the unpleasant treatment I might receive - not from them, of course! - were I to cross a picket line.

The secret ballot is the ultimate anti-intimidation shield - from unions or management. And it's a scandal that the U.S. House, with all four Colorado Democrats agreeing, has voted to undermine this basic protection.

Unfair to police

My column Friday was unfair to Castle Rock police.

I was actually defending police from the dangerous idea that they should be liable for failing to prevent crimes they had no way of knowing were going to occur. But when I explained the circumstances surrounding the murders of Jessica Gonzales' three children in 1999 by her estranged husband - a case that has reached the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in Washington, D.C. - I understated the department's response.

Chief Tony Lane set me straight in an e-mail.

"Both a district car and a supervisor immediately responded to the Gonzales residence on the night of June 22nd, 1999, and began their investigation," he said. "This represented 50 percent of available patrol resources . . . Despite other pending calls, the assigned units made it a priority to conduct a townwide search, even checking \[Simon Gonzales'] apartment several times over the course of the next hour. . . .

"Jessica's demeanor was actually very calm.

"She stated that the girls were probably with their father (Simon) who was legally entitled to take them to dinner one night a week.

"There were no criminal violations at this point and when asked by the officers if she thought the girls were in any danger, she replied, 'No.'

"Approximately an hour later Jessica notified the dispatcher that she had just talked to Simon via cell phone. Simon stated that the girls were with him and that they were at Elitch's. An officer called her back and confirmed the information. The search was then called off. Jessica never requested that we send an officer to Elitch's, no crime had been committed and there was no indication that the girls were in any danger."

Lane's description of events only strengthens the argument that the Gonzales case is miscast as one of official indifference to impending mayhem. What happened was a tragedy, with one man alone responsible.

Vincent Carroll is editor of the editorial pages. Reach him at carrollv@RockyMountainNews.com.

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