Secret Ballot Watch

One of the major arguments against the anti-worker card check scheme – the legislation introduced in Congress that would replace federally-supervised secret ballot elections with a public sign-up process that makes workers’ choices known to all – is that the American people overwhelmingly reject it as undemocratic.

New polling data released yesterday by Rasmussen Reports confirm the public’s views on secret ballots. Among the findings:

• Sixty-one percent (61%) of Americans say it is fair to require a vote by secret ballot if workers want to form a union.

• The survey found that just 18% say it is not fair to require a secret ballot.

Rasmussen described the card check plan this way: “A proposal has been made to ease the process of starting a union. It would allow unions to be formed without a secret ballot if a majority of workers signed a card saying they want a union.” The results:

• Fully 52% believe this approach is not fair, while 32% of adults say it is.

Even more telling, Rasmussen polled on the binding arbitration provisions within the card check legislation, a little-known plan that would put government bureaucrats in charge of workers’ contracts and companies’ business operations if unions and management are unable to quickly reach a first contract. Rasmussen described the proposal like this: “Another proposal says that if a company and its employees union cannot reach an agreement on a contract within 90 days, the government can mandate an agreement defining pay and benefits for those workers.” The findings are startling:

• Some 53% are opposed to giving the government this power, while just 22% are in favor.

A majority of Americans oppose both the card check public sign-up process and the binding arbitration provisions of this misguided legislation. The American people have spoken – the question is whether the special interest groups backing this legislation will listen.

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