Romney Campaign Press Release - President Obama Panders to Big Labor: 2012 Edition

"Nearly 23 million Americans are struggling for work in the Obama economy, but the President has repeatedly sided with his well-funded allies in big labor over American workers. From supporting card check legislation to stacking the NLRB with union sympathizers, President Obama has chosen to put the interests of big labor ahead of the interests of America's workers and job creators." -Andrea Saul, Romney Campaign Spokesperson

Later Today, President Obama Will Again Meet With His Allies In Big Labor:

Today, President Obama Will Address The AFL-CIO's Building And Construction Trades Department Union. (The Building And Construction Trades Department, "President Barack Obama To Kick-Off 2012 Legislative Conference For America's Building Trades Unions," Press Release, 4/23/12)

The Big Labor Unions Know They - And Their Agenda - Have Unfettered Access To The Obama White House:

In 2009, President Obama Gave The AFL-CIO "His Full Backing" For The Employee Free Choice Act, Which Would Have Eliminated Secret Ballot Elections. "President Barack Obama told AFL-CIO union leaders Tuesday in a videotaped address that the controversial Employee Free Choice Act will pass, signaling his full backing for legislation that makes union organizing easier." (Kris Maher, "President Tells Unions Organizing Act Will Pass," The Wall Street Journal, 3/4/09)

• President Obama, In 2009: "We Will Pass The Employee Free Choice Act." (Kris Maher, "President Tells Unions Organizing Act Will Pass," The Wall Street Journal, 3/4/09)

President Obama Told The AFL-CIO That It "Will Always Have A Seat At The Table." OBAMA: "And as we confront this crisis and work to provide health care to every American, rebuild our nation's infrastructure, move toward a clean energy economy, and pass the Employee Free Choice Act, I want you to know that you will always have a seat at the table. Thank you for everything you do." (President Barack Obama, Remarks To The AFL-CIO Executive Council, Miami, FL, 3/3/09)

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka Has Visited The Obama White House At Least 71 Times. (White House Visitor Access Records, www.whitehouse.gov, Accessed 4/27/12)

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, On His Ties To The Obama White House: "I Have Conversations Every Day With Someone In The White House Or The Administration." "'I'm at the White House a couple times a week — two or three times a week,' Trumka boasts in a new video posted by the Workforce Fairness Institute, a foe of organized labor. 'I have conversations every day with someone in the White House or the administration. Every day,' he adds. 'And that includes weekends, by the way.'" (Michael O'Brien, "Video Seizes On Union Leader's Boast Of Daily Contact With White House," The Hill, 3/9/11)

President Obama Has Appointed Labor Union Activists To Prominent Posts And Handed Out Sweetheart Deals To His Top Backers:

President Obama Has "Stacked" The NLRB "With Former Union Lawyers." "President Obama has stacked the board with former union lawyers, including Craig Becker, who needed a recess appointment because even a Democratic Senate refused to confirm him." (Editorial, "The Union 'Quickie,'" The Wall Street Journal, 6/22/11)

• President Obama Used A Recess Appointment To Install Former AFL-CIO Lawyer Craig Becker On The NLRB After His Nomination Was Blocked By The Senate. "Despite intense Republican objections, President Obama on Saturday used recess appointments to fill 15 administration posts without Senate confirmation, including Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board. ... All 41 Senate Republicans wrote Obama this week urging him not to use a recess appointment for Becker, a former top lawyer with Service Employees International Union and the AFL-CIO, whose nomination was rejected by the Senate last month, 52-43." (Kevin Bogardus, "Obama Makes Labor Board Appointment During Recess Over GOP Objections," Fox News, 3/27/10)

As Part Of His Auto Bailout Package, President Obama Gave The United Auto Workers Union A Majority Ownership Stake In Chrysler. "The union's healthcare fund, known as the UAW's VEBA trust, is considering a range of options to cash in on its 45.7 percent stake in Chrysler at a time when the value of that investment is rising, these people said. ... The Obama administration's decision to bail out Chrysler gave the union trust what was initially a majority ownership position of 55 percent of its shares." (Deepa Seetharaman And Soyoung Kim, "UAW Trust Not Planning Quick Chrysler Exit: Sources," Reuters, 6/3/11)

President Obama's Manufacturing Czar - A "Longtime Adviser" To Labor Unions - Reportedly Claimed His Work On The Auto Bailout Was "For The Unions." "Ron Bloom ... was named President Barack Obama's top adviser on manufacturing earlier this year. Before that, he served as the administration's so-called auto czar ... He took heat recently for denying to a congressional panel that he joked his work on the bailout was 'for the unions.' He later said he couldn't be certain he didn't make the comment. [Bloom was] a longtime adviser to the United Steelworkers union..." (Sharon Terlep, "Obama Adviser Bloom To Depart," The Wall Street Journal, 8/9/11)

In February 2009 - The Same Month He Signed The Stimulus Bill - President Obama Issued An Executive Order That Federal Agencies Should "Consider Requiring" Union-Friendly Project-Labor Agreements.  "On Feb. 6, Obama issued Executive Order 13502 that encourages federal agencies to 'consider requiring the use of project labor agreements in connection with large-scale construction projects in order to promote economy and efficiency in Federal procurement.' A project labor agreement requires contractors and subcontractors to pay union wages and to recognize collective bargaining agreements." (Joe Miller, "Did Obama Require That All Infrastructure Jobs In The Stimulus Bill Go To Union Workers?" FactCheck.org, 2/26/09)

Why Has President Obama Rewarded His Big Labor Allies? Unions Spent $200 Million On His 2008 Election - And Plan To Spend Twice That In 2012:

President Obama's Union Allies Are Planning To Spend More Than $400 Million In Support Of His Re-Election. "Unions are gearing up to spend more than $400 million to help re-elect President Barack Obama and lift Democrats this election year in a fight for labor's survival." (Sam Hananel, "Unions Gear Up To Spend Big In 2012 Election," The Associated Press, 2/22/12)

In 2008, Unions Reported Spending More Than $200 Million To Elect President Obama And Other Democrats - As Well As Additional, Unreported Money For Get-Out-The-Vote Activities. "When we looked at the public disclosures after the election, we found the unions reported $206.7 million in spending for all Democrats. It's clear that the unions raised additional money for get-out-the-vote activities, but we don't know how much more..." ("The RNC Said Unions Raised $400 Million For Obama In 2008," PolitiFact.com, 2/24/11)

Former SEIU Head Andy Stern: "We Spent A Fortune To Elect Barack Obama — $60.7 Million To Be Exact — And We're Proud Of It." (Michael Mishak, "Unplugged: The SEIU Chief On The Labor Movement And The Card Check," Las Vegas Sun, 5/10/09)