Advocates of the so-called Employee Free Choice Act do support a secret ballot – but there’s a catch. Under federal law, secret ballots are used to dissolve a union. But when workers want to create a union, that’s different. Secret ballots, which have been used to form unions for generations, are put aside. Instead, under EFCA, the “card check” method is used, leaving workers open to intimidation ... Read more »
As congressional Democrats scramble to finalize the massive health care overhaul they plan to push through the U.S. House of Representatives this month, questions continue to mount about the consequences of their plan for American families. Independent analyses have already proven that the so-called “government option” is not going to be optional for the millions of Americans who will lose the hea... Read more »
With Al Franken scheduled to be sworn in this week as the 60th Senator who will caucus with Democrats, speculation has exploded about legislative prospects for the card check ploy. Congressional observers are well-versed on the political pitfalls that have so far stymied card check’s enactment. The plan – which requires union certification without the protection of a secret ballot election and cou... Read more »
The U.S. Department of Labor’s monthly jobs report was released this morning, and the news wasn’t good. An additional 467,000 Americans lost their jobs in the month of June, and the unemployment rate ticked upward to 9.5 percent. Policymakers in Washington should be focused on policies that will enable job creation and promote economic recovery. At a minimum, it seems obvious that lawmakers should... Read more »
As speculation continues to mount about efforts to advance an alternative version of the controversial Employee Free Choice Act, the legislation’s call for forced government contracts has come under increasing fire. In today’s Washington Examiner, a former Labor Department official explains how the arbitration proposal contained in the card check plan differs from better-known forms of voluntary a... Read more »
The irony was obvious in last week’s report that the Service Employees International Union is seeking to toss out signed union authorization cards on the basis that workers were intimidated or misled by a card check union sign-up. After all, the SEIU is a very public backer of the so-called Employee Free Choice Act, a bill that would amend federal law to require union certification through the pub... Read more »
As Members of Congress return to their congressional districts for Independence Day, workers all across the country may be breathing a sigh of relief. After all, it’s nearly July and still, the card check scheme remains mired in controversy. For workers who value their privacy, there’s relief in the appearance that card check isn’t going to become law anytime soon. At least, that’s what many worke... Read more »
Although the card check plan has stumbled under the weight of widespread public opposition, its special interest advocates continue to claim that this undemocratic plan is necessary to prevent intimidation and coercion in the workplace. As evidence, they cite statistics purporting to show illegal behavior by employers. But as today’s Pittsburgh Tribune-Review explains, the numbers just don’t add u... Read more »
The Employee Free Choice Act could provoke a constitutional challenge if it becomes law. That’s what University of Chicago Law School professor Richard A. Epstein concludes after reviewing the proposal from a legal perspective. Writing in Regulation magazine, Epstein finds there are several constitutional problems with the act, also known as card check. For example, Epstein finds that because it f... Read more »
The proposal to conduct union organizing through a public card signing process is surely the most infamous provision of the so-called Employee Free Choice Act. In fact, it’s where the bill gets its better-known nickname, “card check.” The provision has come under fire because of its obvious potential to harm workers by denying them the privacy and protection of a secret ballot election. It’s a wel... Read more »
