Big Labor’s latest power grab

Right now, in order to be unionized, employees in a workplace have a democratic, private-ballot vote to decide for it. But union officials like Joe Hansen, President of the United Food and Commercial Workers union, noticed “We can’t win that way anymore.” So now they think they can pass a bill stating they only need a number of cards signed – cards they can nag employees with until they get a simple majority. (And don’t mind that your probably-biased boss can see your choice.) The bill is called the “Employee Free Choice Act” (—ironic?). It translates into a potentially massive swell in union power – and therefore also in bank accounts funded by union dues, which typically fund union-supportive, Democratic candidates. Senator Mary Landrieu co-sponsored EFCA. Call and ask her if this has anything to do with the unions that are funding her campaign.

Comments:

Judge’s Opinions on the issue:

It is beyond dispute that a secret election is a more accurate reflection of the employees’ true desires than a check of authorization cards at the behest of a union organizer.”
- 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals

“Freedom of choice is a matter at the very center of our national labor relations policy, and a secret election is the preferred method of gauging choice.”
- DC Circuit Court of Appeals

“It would be difficult to imagine a more unreliable method of ascertaining the real wishes of employees than a “card check” unless it were an employer’s request for an open show of hands.”
- 4th Circuit Court of Appeals

One more:

“We would be closing our eyes to obvious difficulties, of course, if we did not recognize that there have been [card solicitation] abuses, primarily arising out of misrepresentations by union organizers as to whether the effect of signing a card was to designate the union to represent the employee for collective bargaining purposes or merely to authorize it to seek an election to determine that issue.”

- U.S. Supreme Court

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