Citizens United: Your Employer can make you campaign for his candidate w/o pay

[xedniw]

Forcing Employees to Campaign in Wake of Citizens United

http://veracitystew.com/2012/09/02/forci...ns-united/

Quote:New revelations by coal miners that they were ordered to attend, without pay, a rally for Mitt Romney raises serious questions in today’s post-Citizens United world. This is particularly true in light of a recent decision by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

As the Republican National Convention convened this week, allegations surfaced that a group of coal miners had been told by their employer to participate in a campaign event for Governor Romney, then the presumptive GOP nominee. Because the Ohio-based miners feared for their jobs, they attended the August 14th event and contributed to the Romney campaign.

They also lost a day’s pay.

An executive with the employer, Murray Energy Corporation, denied the coercion but admitted the miners were not paid, citing federal election law.

How does this relate to Citizens United?

Just a week after this rally involving these miners, the Federal Election Commission—rather,the 3 Republican commissioners—found that unions and corporations can compel their employees to campaign for and contribute to political candidates determined by the employer....

...By this logic, ANY employer can require its employees to do exactly what occurred to those miners standing behind Mitt Romney in Ohio: 1) participate in a campaign event of the employer’s choosing; 2) contribute to a candidate also chosen by their employer; and 3) not be paid their customary wages for their efforts. Oh, and it’s okay if they feel compelled to attend for fear of losing their jobs. It’s also permissible for an employer to compel them to forego other part-time employment and other personal obligations to campaign for a candidate not of their own choosing....

The GOP clearly reads Citizens United as replacing the citizens' rights.

[cornermouse]

They're getting close to being allowed to follow us into the voting booth.

[xedniw]

(10-23-2012 05:16 AM)cornermouse Wrote:  They're getting close to being allowed to follow us into the voting booth.

Business owners have been strong-arming employees to vote for Romney this year. I can't remember a time when I have seen it this bad. Citizens United (a misnomer if there ever was one) seems to have opened a Pandora's Box of legalized abuses.