As a former Montana secretary of state, Bob Brown understands the history and importance of the secret ballot. In a recent essay for the Missoulian, Brown said the secret ballot in America started during Reconstruction as a way to protect former slaves from “brutal harassment” at the polls while exercising their new right to vote. By the turn of the century, the practice had spread to both Norther... Read more »
Voters use a secret ballot. Workers who want to create a union use a secret ballot (for now). So do prisoners of war. Most people probably aren’t aware of it, but POWs do have a right to the secret ballot – something that workers would not have if the Employee Free Choice Act becomes law. In addition to issues of treatment and medical care, POW voting rights are listed in the Third Geneva Conventi... Read more »
More evidence has surfaced to debunk claims about a compromise version of the Employee Free Choice Act passing the Senate. Sen. Mark Pryor hasn’t weighed in on the “new” version of EFCA. In fact, he hasn’t said much about the old one either. The Hill catches up with the Arkansas Democrat here: “Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) told The Hill on Thursday he remains ‘stubbornly noncommittal’ on so-called ‘ca... Read more »
By now, news of the card check compromise that never was has spread far and wide. Yet despite the denials of key backers in Congress, it may be worth exploring the details of this phantom proposal. While this alleged compromise may not be ripe today, workers and employers deserve to know what may be coming. An editorial in today’s Wall Street Journal takes a look: “Mr. Specter's revised bill would... Read more »
Arlen Specter made quite a splash yesterday with his declaration that a new version of the Employee Free Choice Act had garnered the 60 votes needed for passage in the Senate. Yesterday, the newly Democratic lawmaker appeared before the AFL-CIO convention. He announced that a compromise on EFCA has been “pounded out” and would pass by year’s end – to great applause. After his speech, Specter offer... Read more »
More than seven out of 10 Quebecers want to amend their “card check” labor laws to protect the secret ballot in the workplace. That’s the finding of a poll of 1,000 Quebec citizens released last week and commissioned by the Montreal Economic Institute. Interestingly, the poll also found support for such a change is even higher among union workers at 80 percent. The institute provides more details ... Read more »
Mike Weaver doesn’t oppose unions. He opposes unemployment – and that’s why he’s against the Employee Free Choice Act. In a Sunday essay for The Indianapolis Star, Weaver – president of Weaver Popcorn Co. in Noblesville, Ind.– criticized the act’s ability to set aside the secret ballot for workers and instead use a “card check” system. But he mainly opposes EFCA for this reason: “It’s all about jo... Read more »
Supporters of the so-called Employee Free Choice Act are having a hard time getting their stories straight. Sen. Tom Harkin, the Iowa Democrat who has been leading negotiations for the bill, is the latest EFCA supporter to offer varying reasons for why the anti-worker plan hasn’t received a vote in the Senate. The Hill tries to sort it all out here: “Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) said Thursday that he ... Read more »
In the Golden State, card check bills have been sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger four times. And four times, the “Govern-ator” has terminated them. The latest veto came last week as Schwarzenegger said “hasta la vista, baby” to a proposal that targeted farm workers – and was very similar to the Employee Free Choice Act that’s sitting in Congress. The San Francisco Chronicle has the details here:... Read more »
As Congress debates whether to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, one government agency has declared a key feature of the legislation “unreliable.” The Washington Times reports that the Legal Services Corp., which provides grants to legal-aid groups that help the poor, has determined that the card check method of organizing is flawed. In fact, it rejected an effort by some of its workers to organi... Read more »
