Coalition for a Democratic Workplace Airs New Television Ad in Minnesota

Coalition for a Democratic Workplace Airs New Television Ad in Minnesota

Ad Designed to Educate Minnesotans on Candidates' Positions on Private Ballots

WASHINGTON, July 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As part of its ongoing public education campaign, the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW) today launched a new television ad that identifies the positions of Minnesota U.S. Senate candidates Norm Coleman and Al Franken on workplace privacy and the mis-named Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), legislation introduced in Congress that threatens a worker's right to vote for a union by private ballot.

The ad, developed by nationally known media strategist Mike Murphy, is the second spot in the series that uses a widely recognized character who will be easily identifiable to viewers and will use humor to reinforce the need to protect private ballots for workers. The script of the ad is attached.

Union special interests have made support for the EFCA, or "card check" bill, a top priority this year and are pressuring candidates to pledge their support. Under the EFCA, workers would lose their right to a private ballot when deciding whether to join a union. The private ballot would be replaced with a "card-check" scheme where a union is organized if a majority of workers simply sign a card; the workers' signatures are made public to their employer, the union organizers and their co-workers. The bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives last year but was blocked in the Senate in June 2007. The labor union lobby has promised to reintroduce the legislation next year.

"Minnesotans need to know that workers could effectively lose their right to cast a private ballot in a union election. The next U.S. Senate will have to make a decision about the anti-worker Employee Free Choice Act," said Brian Worth with the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace. "We will continue to provide information to Minnesotans about where the candidates stand on this issue, which affects all workers," added Worth.

In addition to informing all Minnesotans, the ad will ask candidates to support the right to private ballots. Candidates in Minnesota do not need to give in to union pressure. Recent polling in Minnesota conducted by CDW found that voters in Minnesota would be less likely to vote for a candidate for U.S. Senate who supports legislation to replace a federally supervised secret and private ballot system with a card check shortcut. A plurality of voters would be less likely to vote for Al Franken (41%) if he supports this legislation. Clearly, supporting legislation to replace secret ballots with a card check system will have negative consequences for potential Senate candidates.

Both candidates for the U.S. Senate in Minnesota have stated positions on maintaining private ballots in the workplace and the EFCA. Al Franken is opposed to allowing workers the right to cast their vote in private when deciding whether or not to join a union. Norm Coleman wants to keep private ballots in the workplace and voted against the EFCA.

The findings also indicate widespread opposition to organized labor's card-check scheme. Nearly two thirds of voters in Minnesota (65%) oppose the EFCA. Conversely, 82% of Minnesota voters believe that secret ballot elections are the cornerstone of democracy and should be kept for union elections.

The ad encouraging Al Franken to change his position on EFCA will begin airing on July 7, 2008 in the Minneapolis, Duluth and Rochester markets. The ad can be viewed and more information about the candidates' positions and CDW's polling can be found on the Minnesota microsite at http://www.myprivateballot.com/.

CDW is a broad-based coalition which has been actively working this important issue since early 2007. The coalition began its voter education campaign in the Spring with a series of national cable TV buys following a media campaign in states and Congressional districts last year, urging members of Congress to support private ballots for workers and oppose the EFCA.

About the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace

The Coalition for a Democratic Workplace is made up of more than 500 associations and organizations from every state across the nation that have joined together to protect a worker's right to a private ballot when deciding whether to join a union. For more information and a listing of our membership, please visit http://www.myprivateballot.com/.

Navigators "Norm FINAL"
TV Spot :30

VIDEO: AUDIO:

OPEN on cardboard cutout of
Sen. Norm Coleman, alone in
Limbo.

ANNCR: (VO) Norm Coleman says keep the
secret ballot for union organizing
elections.

Camera cuts/pulls wide to
Reveal BOSS character in
Foreground, with cutout
Behind him.

BOSS: Guy's a hero. I hate heroes.

Beat. Boss snaps his fingers.
Two henchman enter, carry the
Coleman cardboard cutout out
of frame.

Boss straightens cuffs under
ANNCR VO.

ANNCR: Al Franken, well, he sees it
differently. Franken says eliminate
the secret ballot for workers.

Two henchmen enter, carrying
cutout of Franken. They
place it where Coleman was.

BOSS: My pal Al.

They all exit. Camera pushes
in on Franken cutout.

Super/website/disc.

ANNCR: Call Al Franken. Tell him
he's wrong to end worker privacy.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Coalition for a Democratic Workplace

CONTACT: Rhonda Bentz, +1-202-580-7289, or Noah Rouen, +1-651-260-9075,
both of the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace

Web site:

http://www.myprivateballot.com/

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