On Friday, after two days of voting, workers at a Novelis Inc. aluminum manufacturing plant in Oswego, NY rejected by fifteen votes the USW's attempt at organizing a union at the company's largest North American facility.  Combined with the recent failure by the UAW to organize workers at the VW plant in Tennessee, this latest news will no doubt send non-climate change induced shivers down the spines of union supporters of all stripes, who are witnessing in real-time the rapid demise of their once formidable influence.  I mean, it's one thing for workers from a backwoods, bible-thumping, pro-gun state like Tennessee to fail to see the virtues of the union's efforts to protect workers from greedy, compassionless companies. But in enlightened New York, the home of Emperor Andy, err, Governor Andrew Cuomo, Senator Chuck Schumer and the Working Families Party?  Say it ain't so comrade.

Of course the USW, unable to accept the harsh reality of this defeat, is crying foul:

However, a representative from the United Steelworkers Union has accused the company of violating federal law during efforts to organize the plant. USW has filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board. The charges could revive efforts for union representation if the NLRB rules in USW's favor.

Uh oh, so now the USW is pulling out the "NLRB card."  This may not end well.  Without too much effort, one can easily foresee a scenario in which an Obama appointed NRLB hack strong-arms Novelis Inc. into allowing a union presence in its plant, with the company then deciding to do business elsewhere. This potential situation is not at all far-fetched.  In fact, as recently as 2009, due to its failure to make any reasonable contract concessions, the UAW sent another of Central New York's largest employers packing, taking 1,200 jobs with it.

For the sake of New York's already anemic and swiftly shrinking economy, I sincerely hope this is just a case of the USW placating its current members and other union lackeys with some press-grabbing bluff and bluster.  But then again, with Big Labor growing increasingly desperate, and Cuomo's preposterous "New York is Open for Business" campaign failing miserably, I wouldn't put anything past this cabal of job killing, economy destroying progressives.