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Rick Santorum did the bidding of big labor unions

again and again as Congressman and Senator

Topline

  Santorum voted with Democrats against the repeal of laws that require workersto pay union dues or fees in order to hold those jobs, whether they wanted to ornot and whether they agreed with the Union’s politics or not. In contrast,

when Senator Toomey was elected, he joined with Senator Jim DeMint to

sponsor legislation to repeal such laws.

  Santorum voted with Democrats — repeatedly — to protect Davis-Bacon

legislation, an old law on the books that requires the federal government to paymore to its contractors. Santorum was so wedded to union concerns that heeven voted against waiving Davis-Bacon in times of emergency. By voting toprotect Davis-Bacon, Senator Santorum cost the people of South Carolina, andall of America, many millions in higher taxes, deficits, and national debt.

  Santorum sponsored the “Santorum Amendment” to raise the Minimum Wage21.4%. He supported Ted Kennedy’s proposed hike in the Minimum Wage.And, in a 2006 campaign commercial, he bragged about his support for ahigher Minimum Wage.

  Santorum voted with Democrats in favor of making it easier to unionizeFedEx.

  Santorum voted with Democrats and the teachers unions against school choice,merit schools, model schools, and decentralization.

Research Details

Rick Santorum voted with Democrats against repeal of laws the require workersto pay union dues or fees in order to hold those jobs, whether they wanted to or

not and whether they agreed with the Union’s politics or not. 

(S. 1788, Roll Call Vote #188: Rejected 31-68: R 31-19; D 47-0, 7/10/96,Santorum voted Nay)

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This is directly opposed to what Senators Pat Toomey and Jim DeMint did lastyear in sponsoring the National Right to Work Act.

Senator DeMint highlighted forced unionism’s effect on the economy, saying,“For America to truly win the future, we must stop operating on politics of the

past like these forced-unionism laws that have crippled American industries.Forced-unionism helped lead to GM and Chrysler’s near bankruptcy and their requests for government bailouts as they struggled to compete in a globalmarketplace. When American businesses suffer because of these anti-workerlaws, jobs and investment are driven overseas.”http://demint.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=6c97e4c4-a31f-4636-8fe2-6ffdf625b2d5

80% of union members support Sen. DeMint’s common sense approach.

Leaving Sen. Santorum apart from conservatives and workers, on the side of union bosses. Why shouldn’t they? One recent study found that per capitaincome rises 23% faster in states that don’t have forced unionization. 

This is a bill championed by a Republican senator from Pennsylvania, PatToomey. A similar bill was opposed by Rick Santorum.

Santorum voted with Democrats — repeatedly — to protect Davis-

Bacon legislation, an old law on the books that requires the federal

government to pay more to its contractors.In 1996, Santorum Was One Of 14 Senate Republicans Voting To AffirmThat The Davis-Bacon Act Should Not Be Repealed. “To protect the incomes of 

construction workers and their families and to express the sense of the Senate that the Davis-Bacon Act should not be repealed.” (S.Amdt. 4031 to S.Amdt. 4000 to S.Con.Res. 57, Vote#134: Motion To Table Failed 40-60: R 39-14; D 1-46, 5/22/96; Santorum Voted Nay)

Fiscal 1997 Budget Resolution - Davis-Bacon.  “Nickles, R -Okla., motion to table

(kill) the Kennedy, D-Mass., amendment to the Kennedy amendment, to reinsert theprovisions similar to the text of the original Kennedy amendment that were struck by the

Ashcroft, R-Mo., amendment, to express the sense of the Senate that the budget resolutiondoes not assume the repeal of the Davis-Bacon Act, which requires federal constructioncontractors to pay workers the local prevailing wage.”’ (S. Con. Res. 57, Roll Call Vote #134: 

Rejected 40-60: R 39-14; D 1-46, 5/22/96, Santorum voted Nay; Congressional Quarterly Website, Accessed1/8/12)

In 1999, Santorum Was One Of 15 Senate Republicans Voting To Reject

An Amendment That Would Have Limited The Applicability Of The

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Davis-Bacon Act In Federal Disaster Areas. “Amendment No. 1844 … At theappropriate place, insert the following: No funds appropriated under this Act may be used toenforce the provisions of the Act of March 3, 1931 (commonly known as the Davis-BaconAct) … in any area that has been declared a disaster area by the President under the Robert T.Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.” (S.Amdt. 1844 to S. 1650, Vote #320: 

Motion To Table Agreed To 59-40: R 15-40; D 44-0, 10/7/99; Santorum Voted Yea) 

Fiscal 2000 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations - Prevailing Wage

Requirement for Rebuilding Disaster Areas.  “Specter, R -Pa., motion to table (kill)the Smith, I-N.H., amendment that would prohibit the applicability of the 1931 Davis-BaconAct in locations declared federal disaster areas by the president. Davis-Bacon requires thatany workers on a federal project be paid prevailing wages.” (S. 1650, Roll Call Vote 320: Approved

59-40: R 15-39; D 44-0; I 0-1, 10/7/99, Santorum voted Yea; Congressional Quarterly Website, Accessed1/8/12) 

Bloomberg Noted Santorum’s Preservation Of “Government Wage-Setting

Regulations”. “Santorum’s competitors are also likely to highlight votes he cast to benefitorganized labor, including minimum-wage increases and preserving government wage-settingregulations, that have so far captured little attention on the campaign trail.” (Greg Giroux and

Heidi Przybyla, “Santorum Pro-Labor Votes Lurk as Rivals Attack Early on Earmarks,”  Bloomberg, 1/4/12) 

Bloomberg News: “In 1996, Santorum voted in effect for an amendment by

former Massachusetts Democratic Senator Edward M. Kennedy that said

the 1931 law shouldn’t be repealed. In 1999, the Senate accepted a Santorumamendment that said it should consider “reform” of Davis-Bacon rather than repeal. Laterthat year, Santorum was one of 15 Senate Republicans who sided with Democrats in rejectingan amendment that would have limited the application of Davis-Bacon in federal disaster

areas.” (Greg Giroux and Heidi Przybyla, “Santorum Pro-Labor Votes Lurk as Rivals Attack Early on Earmarks,”  Bloomberg, 1/4/12)

  The Heritage Foundation: Davis-Bacon Artificially Inflates The Cost Of 

Construction Projects, Adds Billions To The Deficit Each Year, AndShould Be Repealed. “The Davis– Bacon Act (DBA) requires the governmentto pay construction wages that average 22 percent above market rates. Thisshields unions from competition on federal construction projects. It will alsoadd $10.9 billion to the deficit in 2011. Given that the federal government isalready running historic and unsustainable deficits, federal policy should not

unnecessarily inflate the cost of federal construction projects. Congress shouldrepeal the DBA.” (James Sherk, “Repealing the Davis-Bacon Act Would Save Taxpayers $10.9

Billion,” The Heritage Foundation, 2/4/11) 

Santorum proposed a 21.4% increase in the Minimum Wage.

He introduced the Santorum Amendment that would have hiked the

Minimum Wage. In 2005, Santorum sponsored a measure, widely known as the

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Santorum Amendment, which would have raised the minimum wage by $1.10 over twoyears from $5.15 to $6.25, an increase of 21.4%. (The Hill, March 8, 2005)

Santorum was “shifting more to the left” on “tax and wage issues.” Inconnection with the Santorum Amendment, the Washington, D.C. newspaper The Hill reported at the time that Santorum “has made several statements on tax and wage issues in

recent days that suggest he is shifting more to the left.” (The Hill, March 3, 2005)

Santorum supported Kennedy Amendment on Minimum Wage.  Santorumcontinued to support an increase after the Santorum Amendment failed, noting that he“supported an amendment sponsored by my Democratic colleague from Massachusetts,Senator Kennedy, that would have increased the federal minimum wage by$1.10.” (Santorum press release, “Sen. Santorum comments on his support of minimum wage increase,”

October 20, 2005) 

In his unsuccessful 2006 campaign, Santorum reiterated his support for a

Minimum Wage hike.  In a 2006 campaign commercial, Santorum bragged about hisproposed hike in the minimum wage. Referring sarcastically to a conservative newspaper

that criticized him, he said, “This newspaper, they say, ‘The real problem with Rick Santorum is he’s too liberal.’ They didn’t like my legislation calling for a raise in theminimum wage.” (The video is available on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHT6SJd2KFg)

Santorum voted with Democrats in favor of the unionization of 

Federal Express.

Santorum Broke Ranks With Republicans To Vote Twice In Support Of Big

Labor’s Efforts To Unionize Federal Express: 

FAA Reauthorization - Ruling of the Chair. “Judgment of the Senate to affirm theruling of the chair that the language in the conference report restoring the category of "expresscarrier" to the Railway Labor Act was outside the scope of the bill, and was therefore notgermane.” (H.R. 3539, Roll Call Vote #305: Motion rejected 39 -56: R 3-46; D 36-10, 10/3/96,Santorum voted Yea)

FAA Reauthorization – Cloture. “Motion to invoke cloture (thus limiting debate) on theconference report on the bill to authorize $19.5 billion for the Federal Aviation Administrationfor fiscal years 1997 and 1998. The conference report includes a provision reinstating thecategory of “express carrier” into the Railway Labor Act, which denies workers the right tounionize locally and requires them to organize nationally.” (H.R. 3539, Roll Call Vote #304:Motion agreed to 66-31: R 49-2; D 17-29, 10/3/96, Santorum voted Nay)

The Debate Over The Provision To Deter Union Organizing At Fed Ex Was

“Contentious”. “President Clinton October 9 signed legislation that reauthorized spendingfor the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The measure approved $19.5 billion in fundingover two years for construction and security projects at the nation's airports. The Senate October3 passed the measure, 92-2, after several days of contentious debate over a provision that

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some Democratic senators argued would deter union organizing at Federal Express Corp.”(“FAA Reauthorization,” Facts on File World News Digest, 10/10/96) 

  “Labor Provision Prompts Filibuster -- The dispute over the provision affecting FederalExpress workers was the main sticking point in debate on the aviation legislation. Thedispute began September 25, when the Senate conference committee approved a proposal by

Senator Ernest F. Hollings (D, South Carolina). The Hollings proposal inserted the term"express company" into the 1926 Railway Labor Act, language that had been stricken fromthe act when Congress eliminated the Interstate Commerce Commission in 1995. That actionclassified Federal Express employees -- including truck drivers, who were attempting toorganize a union -- as aviation workers. (See 1995, p. 983G2) Labor proponents opposed theaction because it would force Federal Express workers who attempted to unionize toestablish a national union, a more difficult task than creating local unions at individualFederal Express offices.” (“FAA Reauthorization,” Facts on File World News Digest,10/10/96)

   Note: Santorum ultimately did vote for passage of the FAA Reauthorization conference

report along with 91 other senators. Only two senators (Arlen Specter and Paul Simon)voted against final passage of the bill.

Santorum voted with Democrats and the teachers unions against

school choice, merit schools, model schools, and decentralization.

Rick Santorum voted against diverting funds to school choice initiative in

1993. Voted with 253 Democrats and 44 other Republicans against an amendment toauthorize $400 million to be used for merit schools, model schools, school choice programs

and decentralized management programs involving parents. H. Amendment 5 to H R 1804, RollCall Vote #494, motion failed 130-300: R 129-45; D 1-253, 10/13/93. Santorum voted Nay.(http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h1993-494)