Secret Ballot Watch

With all the fuss that’s been made over the so-called Employee Free Choice Act, one would be forgiven for thinking it’s the only proposal out there to change federal labor law.

Luckily for workers, it’s not.

Last week, Republicans led by Rep. Tom McClintock and Sen. David Vitter introduced the Rewarding Achievement and Incentivizing Successful Employees Act – aptly dubbed the RAISE Act, because it removes obstacles that can prevent workers from earning higher pay. The Worcester, Mass. Telegram & Gazette has the story:  

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“RAISE would amend the National Labor Relations Act to permit employers to pay unionized employers incentive wages outside the normal limits imposed by collective bargaining. Labor law currently establishes both a floor and a ceiling on union wages, and courts have repeatedly, properly and necessarily ruled against pay arrangements that impinge upon the collective bargaining process. That does not mean, however, that such limits are good for business. Amending the rules makes sense.

“The RAISE Act would not affect minimum pay rates required by contracts, nor would it permit management to reward anti-union workers. It merely would give management a way of rewarding those workers who show themselves to be more productive, achieving breakthroughs that benefit the company’s — and ultimately the workers’ — bottom lines. A Heritage Foundation study estimates that workers at companies with performance-based pay incentives could earn between $2,600 and $4,300 more per year if Congress were to approve RAISE. The measure is currently with the House Committee on Education and Labor.”

Editorial, “Tweaking labor law,” Telegram & Gazette, 06.08.09 

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Imposing the controversial card check scheme on American workplaces is not the only way to change federal labor law. As the RAISE Act proves, there are common sense strategies to modernize outdated policies, increase flexibility for workers, and keep American companies competitive in order to create jobs and rebuild the American economy.

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