LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: EMERSON CAN'T CONCEAL HER VOTE ON RIGHT TO WORK

To the editor:

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson's attempt to explain away her vote to force physicians to pay union tribute to practice medicine ("Emerson comes under fire from Right to Work group," July 31) scores a 10 for effort but a zero for accuracy.

Emerson's assertion that the Cox right-to-work amendment that she helped narrowly defeat would have "gutted" the Quality Health Care Coalition Act (House Resolution 1304) is inaccurate.

As the congresswoman knows full well, HR 1304's lead sponsor, Rep. Tom Campbell of California, and 75 of the bill's cosponsors voted for the right-to-work amendment.

Campbell's purpose in drafting this bill was to allow physicians to voluntarily band together to negotiate with health-care companies not to force doctors to join or financially support a union. The Cox amendment merely declared his intent.

In defending her voter for forced unionism, Emerson echoes the rhetoric spewed on the House floor just before the Cox amendment roll call by Democratic minority whip David Bonior, D-Mich., a tunnel-visioned foe of right to work.

But at least Bonior didn't obfuscate his basic point: He believes doctors, just like employees now covered under federal labor law, should be forced to pay union dues "for their own good."

Emerson isn't even honest enough to join with her ally, Bonior, in admitting that a vote against the Cox amendment was a vote in favor of forced union-dues payment by doctors.

That may be because, during her successful first run for the House in 1996, she pledged in writing to work to repeal the existing federal labor laws that authorize Big Labor to force workers to pay union dues.

Instead, she just voted to ad to the number of American citizens covered under forced-dues laws.

Emerson plainly knows that the overwhelming majority of her constituents believe no one should be forced to affiliate with a union as a job condition. Otherwise, why would she choose to conceal what this vote was about?

STAN GREED

News Director

National Right to Work Committee

Springfield, Va.