Call it the curse of card check. Like the monster in a bad horror movie, the latest nightmare scenario making its way through Washington is the theory that the Employee Free Choice Act can return to wreak havoc on workers’ rights and the economy – even if it dies in the Senate, where it has been dormant like a sleeping vampire for months. Workforce Management magazine notes that card check advocat... Read more »
With Democrats now officially able to count 60 votes among their ranks in the Senate, the Employee Free Choice Act should be easy to pass in that chamber because – on paper – they have enough votes to stop a possible Republican filibuster against the anti-worker proposal. But it turns out it’s not that easy. The New York Times today offers a glimpse about why several Democratic senators are sittin... Read more »
It appears that America’s northern neighbors may be rooting for enactment of the Employee Free Choice Act – but not for the reason you might think. Canadians have plenty of experience with the public sign-up card check process for forming unions, and that experience has been anything but positive. In fact, card check and the arbitration that accompanies it have wreaked havoc on their economy, leav... Read more »
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 »
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 »
