Little Rock, AR (May 25, 2010) – Today, the Coalition for Arkansas Jobs (CAJ) continued its efforts to shine light on the intellectually dishonest campaign Lieutenant Governor and Senate candidate Bill Halter is running concerning the Employee ‘Forced’ Choice Act (EFCA), which would result in lost jobs and increased unemployment in Arkansas.

For months, Bill Halter has traveled throughout Arkansas refusing to answer questions about the Employee ‘Forced’ Choice Act while his political benefactors – the national labor unions – have poured millions of dollars into the state on his behalf. Just the other day, it was revealed that the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) would expend an additional $1.4 million on Halter’s behalf. AFSCME President Gerald McEntee has been very clear about what he expects in return for his investment: “payback” in the form of EFCA.

With just a few weeks until the runoff election, which will determine who will represent the Democratic party in the race for Arkansas’ Senate seat, the time has come for Bill Halter to step forward and tell Arkansans the truth about where he stands on this job-killing legislation.

“National labor unions continue to pour millions of dollars into Arkansas expressly advocating for Bill Halter’s election. In return, Big Labor has been very clear that they expect ‘payback’ in the form of the job-killing Employee ‘Forced’ Choice Act,” said Robert Coon, state director for the Coalition for Arkansas Jobs (CAJ). “Furthermore, Halter has participated in backroom meetings with the national union bosses who are bankrolling his campaign and refused to tell Arkansans where he stands on EFCA. The time has come for Bill Halter to tell voters in Arkansas the truth.”

Halter & EFCA Timeline:

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) announced that they would invest an additional $1.4 million to support Halter’s candidacy for the U.S. Senate “a massive sum in a small state that will boost the runoff chances of Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter. The union is sending about fifty staffers into Arkansas for the race’s last three weeks, with a particular focus on rallying African-American voters behind Halter, the president, Gerald McEntee, said, describing an independent expenditure campaign on a scale likely to dominate the state’s airwaves.” (Ben Smith, “AFSCME Will Put $1.4 Million Into Arkansas Runoff,” Politico, 5/20/10)

National union bosses have explicitly stated that they expect a return on their investment meaning a vote in favor of the Employee ‘Forced’ Choice Act. AFSCME President Gerald McEntee – who is also the AFL-CIO’s Vice President and Chair of its Political Education Committee – stated EFCA was “payback” for the labor movement’s massive campaign effort on behalf of Democrats in 2008. (David R. Sands, “Labor’s ‘Priority’ On Back Burner,” The Washington Times, 12/29/08)

Halter has continually refused to provide an answer on his position concerning the job-killing EFCA with media outlets noting, “[Halter] has criticized [Lincoln] for opposing legislation to make it easier to unionize workplaces, but he has repeatedly declined to give his position on that legislation.” (Seth Blomeley, “Lincoln, Halter To Face Off In June,” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 5/19/10)

Halter has also participated in closed-door meetings with labor officials. In December 2009, it was reported, “Bill Halter, who’s widely rumored to be mulling a challenge to Lincoln, came to Washington D.C. to huddle with a group of labor officials and liberal bloggers to discuss possibly making the race, two sources who were there tell me.” (Greg Sargent, “Target Lincoln: Potential Challenger Takes Steps Towards Primary Against Arkansas Senator,” The Washington Post, 12/9/09)  

And again in January, it was reported that Halter met with “labor officials to discuss a prospective run, according to a source familiar with the talks, and has also huddled with progressive leaders in Washington – a group that has warmed to the idea of a Halter bid.” (Alex Isenstadt, “Dem Base Feels No Love For Lincoln,” Politico, 1/22/10)  

All the while, Halter’s responses to questions related to EFCA have been disingenuous and dishonest. He stated at a recent debate, “Definitively, card check is dead in the United States Senate. It’s not going anywhere, labor leadership is not pushing for it.” (U.S. Senate Democratic Primary Debate, 5/14/10)

Halter’s comments are directly contradicted by his political benefactor AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka who stated, “We will get [EFCA] done.” (Kevin Bogardus, “Trumka Says Dems’ Aggressive Posture Helps Election Chances,” The Hill, 5/4/10)  

The Coalition for Arkansas Jobs is an organization committed to protecting jobs in Arkansas and standing up for the small businesses and workers in the state who grow the economy and create opportunities. To learn more, please visit: www.coalitionforARjobs.com.  

To schedule an interview with a Coalition for Arkansas Jobs representative, please contact Robert Coon at (501) 352-8332 or email robert@coalitionforARjobs.com .

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