Wow! Suddenly this week Politico reporter Mike Elk shook off his cloak of extreme lethargy and became like the Energizer Bunny. Gone was his PTSD and STSD (Secondary Traumatic Stress Disorder) which he claims inhibit him from working. Despite not having done a bit of work for six months, there he was front and center at a press conference asking Democrat presidential candidate Bernie Sanders questions. So what was the subject of Elk's inquiry? It was about how badly treated he is at his employer Politico because they haven't approved card check in voting on whether to form a union shop.
Here is Erik Wemple at the Washington Post chronicling Elk's working woe whine to Bernie Sanders:
ELK: Sen. Sanders, Mike Elk, Politico. Speaking of the issue of union neutrality, and card check — there’s been a lot of organizing drives in the media industry, there’s been a lot of intimidation recently in new media. Do you think it would help the media if it was better unionized?
SANDERS: Yes.
ELK: And do you think media owners should agree to card check neutrality including my own at Politico?
Wemple couldn't believe that Politico would allow one of its reporters to act so unprofessionally:
We’ve asked Politico whether it’s okay with Elk pressing public officials on unionization at his employer.
So what was the answer, Erik? It's unbelievable that Politico continues to allow its, by far, laziest reporter to badmouth them so unprofessionally in the public setting of a press conference.
Politico's humiliation by its own reporter was also publicized by the Huffington Post:
Mike Elk has led an outspoken campaign to unionize Politico since arriving at the publication last year. On Tuesday, the labor reporter broached the topic of media unionization during a question-and-answer session with Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders during a meeting of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers in Washington.
To add insult to injury, Elk also badmouthed Politico on Twitter:
.@salon just shouldn't recognize its union but all media employers including @politico should agree to card check neutrality #salonunion
— Mike Elk (@MikeElk) July 28, 2015
Yeah, card check, so wannabee union thug Mike Elk can identify and demonize those who don't support unionization at the workplace where he does no work.
