Thomas Donohue demonstrates a good player

Thomas Donohue demonstrates a good player. The President and CEO (CEO) of the American Chamber of commerce, one of the most powerful business lobbies in the United States, does not hesitate to cover Barack Obama of praise. "I am impressed with the speed and intelligence with which it is his team," he said in an interview to the "Echos", granted during his visit to Paris last week.

Once this tribute, he moved to the offensive. "The first 150 days of mandate will be the most dangerous, whether the economic and financial issues and the fight against terrorism." What I fear is that, during the 150 days, decisions to take more in enthusiasm and emotion that via a rational approach. We are ready to support his new stimulus plan, job creation projects, of massive investment in infrastructure. But we object of all our forces to two bills, one on "class actions" and the other on Union representation.

A major reform

The first text would more power to the "trial lawyers", these collective procedures, lawyers very feared by companies. The second project is the Efca ("Employee Free Choice Act"), pet peeve of employers. He plans to prohibit patterns to impose their employees the vote by secret ballot to choose to join or not a Union. Employees have more than to sign some kind of membership card. In practice, this major reform should greatly facilitate the implementation of the trade unions, allowing them to getting their workforce (fell to 7.5 of the workforce privacy against more than 35 in the 1950s). This bipartisan text includes also a fortnight of measures improving the working conditions of employees. It has already been approved last year by the House of representatives, but is blocked in the Senate. Barack Obama is declared himself in favor during the campaign and the unions, which have massively supported and funded the Democratic candidate, now put pressure on him to make this text a priority.

"It is a battle that cannot be delivered now in crisis, then the unemployment explodes!" Tom Donohue rebelled. Lose no time to confront us on these issues which will divert us from the essential. Put them aside until the economy stabilizes. "And adding:"That will be entrepreneurs face to these new rules" They move jobs, replace them by technology or tune in States where unions are less implanted. They will not choose if they want to remain competitive against the competition.

He does not hesitate to threaten: "If the new President wants to lead all front, it will make more difficult the adoption of a recovery plan and will pay a price enormous, not only at the level of the economy but also its future popularity and its political ability to act in the long term."

Tom Donohue doubt, moreover, that all Democrats senators vote this Bill (1). But, above all, he wants to believe that the President will be "smart enough" to understand that the most urgent it is to restore the economy. "Of course, finds, Barack Obamacroit unions, it was a very liberal senator." But it is one thing to be liberal and it is another to be President of the United States.