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The Employee Free Choice Act would be the death of secret-ballot union elections Date published: 4/8/2009
AMERICAN WORKERS have a In these pages recently, union officer Dennis Martire proclaimed in triplicate: "It [EFCA] doesn't take away the secret ballot. It doesn't take away the secret ballot. One last time, it doesn't take away the secret ballot." This is technically true, but one might answer Mr. Martire this way: It might as well. It might as well. It might as well. At present, a majority of workers at a site can elect union representation in one of two ways--by secret vote or by signing cards. If workers choose to unionize via the first method, that's all she wrote. If they do so via "card check," an employer may require reiteration of majority will via the unobserved ballot box. A secret election is of course a safeguard against intimidation by organizers who can corral workers one at a time and pressure them to sign a card. EFCA would effectively make the cards the last word in the process. Yes, an employer could call an election if 30 percent of workers signed union cards, but organizers would not be obliged to reveal that figure. They would certainly push on till they achieved, by hook or by crook, the 50 percent mark and presented the company with a fait accompli. Secret elections would become rare if not extinct. Workers deserve protection from both organizers' and employers' strong-arming. Virginia Sens. Webb and Warner could usefully forge a compromise tolerable to every fair-minded American. Nothing's fair about card check.
NLRB data refutes these bogus claims. In 2007/2008 the NLRB received 4,208 petitions requesting a secret ballot election (and won 66% of those during the first-half of 2008!). Also during that span, of all the union alleged election-related ULP charges against employers, the NLRB determined that only 3.75% had merit. EFCA is simply a union campaign to fill their dwindling bank accts. Their THUGS need only to intimidate/harass 51% of emplyees to sign cards so not to bother with a pesky secret election.
UsefulIdiot, you would have the unions have all the power instead of making a law that gives the power to choose to the workers. Yeah, typical socialist drivel.
Couldn't have put it any better than you did - they just don't get it! Unless we bring up the standard of living in this country, folks can't buy the products!! And this whole anti-EFCA chamber of commerce business is part of the big plan to keep folks down and out. There's more than enough to go around - it's truly sad.
In the real world, beyond Amelia Street, union busting is a $4 billion dollar business and workers who seek to organize are routinely fired. Employers use elections to strongarm workers from organizing. The Card Check is the only way to even the tremendous odds that have arisen against unionizing in the last 30 years.
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