The Knuckleheads of the Day award

Today's winners are The Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. They get the award for the following-

LOS ANGELES - Employing a new political tactic, two large labor unions are using the threat of a consumer boycott to try to curb corporate contributions to groups opposing the universal preschool initiative on the June ballot.

The Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees sent a letter last week threatening a national boycott of all of the Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic stores.

They said they would launch the boycott if the Gap, its affiliates or any members of the family that founded the Gap donated to groups opposing actor and director Rob Reiner's preschool initiative, Proposition 82.

"It is our hope that you come to the conclusion that opposing preschool for every child in California is bad for kids and bad for California," said the letter, signed by SEIU's and AFSCME's presidents and SEIU's secretary treasurer.

The two unions, AFSCME and SEIU, represent more than 2.7 million members nationwide. They are likely to gain more members if Proposition 82 is approved because it would allow collective bargaining among those working in the preschools the initiative would fund.

Proposition 82 would raise upper-income Californians' taxes to pay for a free half-day of voluntary preschool for all the state's 4-year-olds by 2010.

I've never been a big fan of boycotts. This one sounds particularly dumb. How many companies do these unions plan to boycott? For I'd tell them, be ready to boycott alot for not everyone is going to agree with you. To me its just a sign of growing intolerance by some of those who take a different political viewpoint. They resort to name calling or threats.

And what is this all about too? A voluntary half day once a week? Is that worth boycotting? Without studying it further, the first impression I get is this is a waste of time and money. That's not the point anyway, the boycott is just foolish.

For threatening a boycott over political differences, The Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees are today's knuckleheads of the day.

Hat tip- Joanne Jacobs
Open Post- Bright & Early, Jo's Cafe, Cao's Blog, Mudville Gazette,

Cross posted to Bullwinkle Blog