Ever wonder what workplace life might look like under the so-called
Employee Free Choice Act?
The prospect is contemplated in an essay that appeared this week in the Central Maine Morning Sentinel:
“Under EFCA, each signature is a public vote and the only vote, conducted in the open, with the full view and knowledge of their fellow workers, management and the union organizers.
“Imagine for a moment you work in a 10-person shop, and five of you have signed EFCA cards. Imagine for a moment the kind of pressure the remaining five may face from both sides on this issue. And finally remember, everyone will know who tilted the balance for, or against, joining the union.
“Lastly, without the protection of the secret ballot, imagine the potential for long-term division in that workplace between fellow workers, and between workers and management, should this effort succeed or fail.
“There is nothing wrong with workers deciding that they can improve or maintain their situation in the workplace through collective bargaining. At issue is whether the EFCA will deprive individuals of making that choice free of intimidation or coercion.”
Gore, “Employees Don’t Need EFCA,” Central Maine Morning Sentinel, 06.07.09
It’s a scary prospect for workers – many of whom are probably already worrying about whether they’ll have a job at all if this ill-considered legislation ever becomes law.
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