What can a democracy like ours do when giant companies say, “Rules? We don’t need no stinkin’ rules! We don’t got to pay you no taxes!” and “We will just move out of your puny country if you try to tell us what to do.”
Government is beginning to enforce labor laws again, with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) filing a complaint against Boeing for retaliating against employees for legitimate union activities. In response Boeing’s CEO questions government’s “authority” to tell big businesses like Boeing what to do, saying companies like his can just move “overseas.” Sarah Palin echoes the complaint, saying businesses can just move to “more business-friendly countries.” These are direct challenges to the democracy we fought to build.
Boeing Threatens “Overseas Flight”
Boeing chairman, president and CEO Jim McNerney has an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal in which he challenges the “authority” of our democracy to regulate giant multinational corporations.
“The NLRB is wrong and has far overreached its authority. Its action is a fundamental assault on the capitalist principles that have sustained America’s competitiveness since it became the world’s largest economy nearly 140 years ago. We’ve made a rational, legal business decision about the allocation of our capital and the placement of new work within the U.S.”
McNerney essentialy confirms that it was union activity that led Boeing to decide to open a plant in anti-union South Carolina,
“Among the considerations we sought were a long-term “no-strike clause” that would ensure production stability for our customers, and a wage and benefit growth trajectory that would help in our cost battle against Airbus and other state-sponsored competitors. … Union leaders couldn’t meet expectations on our key issues, and we couldn’t accept their demands that we remain neutral in all union-organizing campaigns…”
Like the movie stereotype, poking his finger in your chest, “You got a problem with that?”
McNerney goes on to call the NLRB enforcement “brazen regulatory activism” that “could accelerate the overseas flight of good, middle-class American jobs.”
There it is, the threat, basically, “We will just move out of your puny country if you try to tell us what to do, and we will take your jobs with us.”
Boots On Necks
Sarah Palin, in her Facebook post, Removing the Boot from the Throat of American Businesses, blasts President Obama’s “appointees at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) who have their boots on The Boeing Company’s neck.”
Palin explains that business is the boss now, not We-the-People democracy, writing,
Does the President realize the real concern here is not that businesses will choose to locate in one state over another? It’s that businesses will choose to locate in other countries because thanks to the Obama administration’s job killing policies and over-reaching regulatory boards the business climate in the United States is growing toxic.
Basically, she says government ought to just get out of the way of the plutocrats, because big, multinational businesses have so much power over democracy that,
… eventually every state will suffer when businesses declare “enough is enough” with these tactics and decide to relocate in more business-friendly countries.
Once again, the threat: Mess with us and we will leave and take your jobs with us.
Whose Boot Is On Whose Neck?
To be clear, Palin does not mean this as a call to strengthen democracy and get these companies and their threats under control. She is not complaining that these companies do not want to follow our rules and pay decent wages, offer benefits, protect worker safety and protect the environment. She is saying the United States should change and become more “business-friendly” — like the non-democracies that suppress labor rights, pay low wages, and lock you up if you complain.
“Free Trade” has allowed businesses to cross borders to “business friendly” non-democracies to escape the protections democracy offers us. It pits exploited workers in these “business-friendly” countries against our own democracy-protected workers, forcing a race to the bottom in wages, working standards and living standards. And it lets them avoid taxation, defunding our democracy’s ability to enforce regulations and laws
If we don’t do what these giant, powerful companies tell us to do, and abandon the protections of democracy that we fought so hard to achieve, they will just pack up and leave and take our jobs with them. Just whose boot is on whose neck?
The question is why do we let them do this, and what can we do about it?
The following is adapted from April’s post on the NLRB actions, Does Government Know Who The Boss Is?
Who Is Boss?
Do We, the People have the ability to enforce our laws? Do we have the power to tax corporations and the wealthy?
Do we have the power to keep the protections and opportunities our democracy had provided?
Democracy provides us with safety protections and fair wages. We fought so hard to build and maintain this democratic society so that We, the People could share the benefits. We passed laws allowing union organizing, as a balance to the immense power of corporations and wealth. We passed laws prohibiting companies from telling workers, “Work for what we give you or don’t eat.”
And for a time this built our prosperity. But we let the protections slip, and allowed companies to cross borders to escape the protections democracy offers — to non-democratic countries like China where workers have few rights, where pay is low, environmental protections practically non-existent. Companies locating manufacturing in places like have huge cost advantages over companies located in democracies that respect and protect the rights of citizens.
The Threat Against Us
Won’t companies just move out of the state/country if we try to enforce labor laws or tax them? Won’t China just stop selling to us or dump our bonds if we apply a tariff to protect democracy, or try to enforce trade laws? Won’t the rich just pack up and move or stop working if we don’t just give them everything they want? Won’t they move even more factories out of the city/state/country if We, the People try to demand our rights?
We Still Have The Power
Here’s the thing. We, the People still have some power left in our hands. For one thing we still offer a huge, prosperous market to sell into. We still have the power to make demands on those who would like to sell things to us. We can apply a “democracy tariff” to goods made by exploited workers so these goods do not have a price advantage over goods made here. And we can choose to enforce tax laws, and wage laws, and tariffs, and labor laws, and trade laws to protect and strengthen what remains of our democracy.
But we can only do this if we decide to stand up for ourselves and do something about what is happening. We have to put our foot down, and demand that our politicians listen to We, the People and do what we say. It is time to get organized, to talk to neighbors and relatives, to show up at town hall meetings and protests. We can demand that news media begin to cover more than just the corporate/conservative viewpoint. We can go out and register others to vote, and get them to the polls, and demand that votes be counted accurately. We can take back our democracy and put We, the People back in charge.
This post originally appeared at Campaign for America’s Future (CAF) at their Blog for OurFuture. I am a Fellow with CAF.
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Dave Johnson
Dave Johnson (Redwood City, CA) is a Fellow at Campaign for America's Future, writing about American manufacturing, trade and economic/industrial policy. He is also a Senior Fellow with Renew California. Dave has more than 20 years of technology industry experience including positions as CEO and VP of marketing. His earlier career included technical positions, including video game design at Atari and Imagic. And he was a pioneer in design and development of productivity and educational applications of personal computers. More recently he helped co-found a company developing desktop systems to validate carbon trading in the US.
3 Responses to Sarah Palin And Boeing CEO Tell Government Who The Boss Is
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unfortunately it is free trade dogmatists in the Democratic party that are really standing the way of doing something like this, not Sarah Palin.
Sarah Palin was so successful as a governor, she graduated early (the Bitter Quitter), she real is a “Dan Quayle” in heels. She clearly loves “dishing it out” but real can’t take it because she loves playing the victim card, poor thing. She fail as a VP candidate (her lie that her daughter was engaged was such a farce), her stand-up comic fiasco on the Jay Leno Show, please, her TV show canceled after declining rating, I guess running for Prez is the only thing she can look forward to, but since she is a coward she will only throw small minded rocks, poor thing. Since we already had an idiot “W” that caused our current economic debacle, America knows not to trust in fools who think they are brilliant. One of the reason for “W” failure was his drinking, Palin just has bad genes.
Robin Patrick Petersen
100 Robins W. Parkway #105
Warner Robins, GA 31088
(480) 993-5344
April 30, 2011
The Honorable Patrick Leahy, U.S. Senator
437 Russell Senate Bldg
United States Senate
Washington DC 20501
Subj: Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act – Boeing Fraud/Passport Confiscation
Dear Senator Leahy,
I am writing this letter to ask for your assistance. I do so because I believe your work in introducing a Congressional Bill entitled H.R. 4567 Civilian Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (CEJA) in February of 2010 may apply to my particular situation. You have my written consent to investigate should you decide to help me.
In January of 2009, I was employed by “The Boeing Company” (TBC) and its wholly owned subsidiary Boeing International Support Systems, Saudi Arabia (BISS) who have engaged in fraudulent and criminal activities (First) here in the United States and then again in the country of Saudi Arabia.
The criminal activity I am referring to was (First) committed here in the United States and arises from fraudulent recruiting practices that BISS is conducting while operating as an unregistered business from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and in St. Louis, Missouri. The criminal activity overseas stems from fraudulent representations made by TBC management; fraudulent activities taking place within these companies operations; and the fact that Boeing/BISS management confiscated my U.S. Passport and did not returned it upon my written demand. I believe the confiscation of a U.S. Passport; not returning it upon demand; and holding a person in a foreign country for months against their will constitutes the criminal act of false imprisonment.
During the time I was being held against my will I reported this incident to Boeing’s Ethics Department, Boeing’s CEO and to U.S. Department of State, but heard nothing back from them. On June 8th, 2009 (nearly four months of captivity) I was able to get out of Saudi Arabia with the assistance of a security officer who was working at the U.S. Consulate who demanded that Boeing/BISS return my passport. When I returned home to the United States, I reported this incident to the Phoenix FBI. Although, I provided the FBI with as much detail as I could they never took any action. I then contacted Senator John McCain who passed my complaint on to Senator Jon Kyl who then inquired on my behalf to find out why law enforcement (the FBI) failed to act. The U.S. Justice Department responded informing Senator Kyl that the FBI stated that they did not have jurisdiction in this matter. I strongly disagree with the statement that the FBI provided Senator Kyl because the criminal act of “Fraud” was in fact initiated here in the United States by a company (BISS) that according to its own attorneys has no legal right to be operating in this country. (They are not legally registered in the U.S. and are not paying U.S. Corporate income taxes) The U.S. Department of Justice without careful analysis appears to have failed to recognize or consider this fact. (Please find Senator Kyl’s letter to me dated October 29, 2010 and the response he received from the U.S. Department of Justice dated 07 Oct 2010)
In May of 2010 I filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Arizona alleging wrongdoing by TBC and BISS. TBC and BISS have filed motions to have my case dismissed against them based on improper forum selection. The court has granted their motion to dismiss, ruling improper forum selection while not taking in to account that I was defrauded by BISS (First) here in the United States and that BISS is operating illegally within the United States.
1. Please find evidence enclosed and listed as (Exhibit A) that attorneys representing “The Boeing Company” (TBC) and Boeing International Support Systems (BISS) have provided a sworn affidavit from Yvette B. Kumi a Boeing Corporate paralegal who states ” the only jurisdiction in which BISS is authorized to do business is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
2. Please find enclosed as (Exhibit B) a business card that I received from a Mr. Dan Nelson who clearly identifies himself as a Manager for International Support Systems – BISS and who states his operations are located at 6001 S. Air Depot, Oklahoma City, OK.
3. Please find enclosed as (Exhibit C) an email from BISS Manager Daniel J. Nelson stationed and “Doing Business” in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. This email identifies that his supervisors are operating from St. Louis, Missouri.
4. Please find enclosed (Exhibit D) a Boeing Company press release dated (Jan. 7, 2010) that indicates that the Boeing Company is making leadership changes to include Mr. Torbjorn Sjogren to be named Vice President of International Support Systems and Alsalam Aircraft Company. Mr. Sjogren lives and operates from St. Louis, Missouri.
5. Please find enclosed correspondence from Boeing/BISS attorney Geoffrey M.T. Sturr that provides evidence that BISS/Alsalam has financial accounts (Citi Bank, NY) located here in the United States.
6. Please find enclosed a copy of my attorney’s motion to vacate and file an amended claim against the Boeing Company and Boeing International Support Systems (BISS).
Although Boeing attorney’s with all the power of their company have been able to twist the facts in their favor, please understand that it is my contention that “Fraud” took place (first) here in the United States. I should be allowed the right to litigate here in my own country and not forced to return to Saudi Arabia to obtain justice when that country subverts freedom, continues to violate the rights of others, and is listed by our own government as a Tier III violator whose legal system is unjust and subject to corruption.
I would ask that you please conduct your own investigation, asking the Attorney General again why criminal activity such as “Fraud” that was committed by TBC/BISS in this country cannot be investigated by our own law enforcement officials (the FBI) and why the U.S. Justice Department has failed to provide due diligence in enforcing the laws of our country which are instituted to protect its Citizens from those who knowingly and willfully engage in criminal acts. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for taking the time to review the enclosed material.
Sincerely,
Robin Patrick Petersen