Uncertainty is the watchword for the economy in the wake of recent political and economic events, according to Timothy Lugbill, assistant vice president of government relations for the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), who discussed the November election results and their impact for the Council of Industry of Southeastern New York.
The group”™s annual Luncheon and Member Expo on Friday, Nov. 14, at the Powelton Club in Newburgh drew 125 guests from manufacturing and related businesses to hear Lugbill”™s assessment of the current economic and political situation and to peruse the information and displays from companies at expo booths spanning industrial-strength vacuum cleaners to energy efficiency providers.Â
Lugbill said that the NAM”™s prime concern after elections was that President-elect Obama and fellow Democrats would feel pressured by unions, who strongly supported them to pass legislation allowing for so-called “card check” unionization efforts.
The term refers to a streamlined procedure for workers to form bargaining units. Under current law, an employer is not required to abide by a card-check decision, and can require a union bargaining unit be created through a secret ballot process. However, there is currently legislation in Congress that would mandate employers accept a card-check result in creating a bargaining unit.
Though that legislation was not taken up during the last debate on the issue by the U.S. Senate in 2007, it passed the House of Representatives handily. And in the wake of the 2008 election, it is expected to be considered again. Unions, said Lugbill, “are reminding the new President how hard they worked to get him elected.” He said the NAM will oppose legislation mandating creation of bargaining units and unions based on card-check ballots. He said the procedure is anti-democratic because it does not allow a worker to choose union representation in a secret ballot, but forces a public choice that could be vulnerable to pressure. Â
Lugbill also spoke broadly about the November election results and their potential impact on manufacturers in New York state. Lugbill manages NAM”™s Key Vote program which draws attention to important manufacturing issues for members of Congress as well as NAM members and their employees. With a new Democratic president and stronger Democratic majorities in both the House and Senate, he said there are “Huge challenges ahead,” for the NAM agenda.
Lugbill discussed the hopes for the upcoming lame-duck session of Congress, but said that a “high priority” for the outgoing Bush administration, a Free Trade Agreement with Colombia, was not given much chance of adoption.
And what about the incoming Obama administration? Lugbill said that NAM was keenly interested in Cabinet appointments as a clue to what policies President Obama would support or adopt. But in terms of the new President”™s focus upon taking office, “It really does have to be the economy,” Lugbill said.
Will President Obama create more regulations, or more bailouts? “We don”™t know,” said Lugbill, a common refrain among observers trying to gauge the intentions of the President-elect. But he said the first hundred days of the Obama administration should bring action on Iraq, the federal budget and national tax policy.    Â
Among other issues he raised was the proposed bail out for the auto industry. He took no position on the matter, but did offer statistics that would seem to support action on behalf of the automakers. He noted that one in 10 jobs in the American economy are tied to automobile manufacturing and said the industry involves every facet of the economy from steel production to rubber materials and electronics. He expressed hope that the $25 billion already set aside for innovations in the auto industry and disbursed by the Energy Department could be worked into a plan for aiding the car makers.Â
At the luncheon, 14 individuals from manufacturing companies throughout the Hudson Valley were honored for completing their Certificate in Manufacturing Leadership. This award represents the completion of more than 40 hours of coursework and comprehensive training in leadership and management. The recipients of the Certificate in Manufacturing Leadership are: Tracy Haws, John Heitzman, Karen Mottsey, and LaMarr Joseph from Alcoa Fastening Systems; Henry Bautista from Balchem Corp.; Jeannine Curry from Chemprene; Greg Davies from EFCO Products; Vince Sauter from Fala Technologies; David Cruz from MPI Inc.; Bonnie Davis and Cheryl Keram from Taconic Farms; and James Barra, Vincenzo Denaro and Maria Santos from Zeirick Manufacturing.