Secret Ballot Watch

For months, supporters of the Employee Free Choice Act have been pushing for its passage in Congress.  

They have held rallies. They have run ad campaigns. They even enlisted cast members from “The West Wing” to help them out.

The result from all this work? Let’s go to the scoreboard, courtesy of Rasmussen Reports:  

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“[A] new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 52% of adults do not believe it is fair to form a union without a secret vote. Eighteen percent (18%) are not sure. …

“Just 21% of all Americans believe the federal government should be allowed to mandate an agreement defining pay and benefits for a company’s employees if the company and their employees’ union cannot reach an agreement on a contract within 90 days. Fifty-six percent (56%) are opposed to giving the government this power which is another provision of the EFCA.”

 “30% Say It’s Okay To Form A Union Without A Secret Vote, 52% Disagree,” Rasmussen Reports, 07.13.09 

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In other words, public opinion on the act has been largely unchanged since the bill was introduced in March.

Perhaps the best reason for such little change is that ordinary people can see the bill, also known as card check, for what it really is: an attempt to take away a worker’s right to a secret ballot; an invitation for government bureaucrats to essentially take over a business through forced government contracts; a chance at killing even more jobs in a country that currently has a 9.5 percent unemployment rate; and an occasion to possibly affect America’s ability to compete in the global marketplace.

It’s too bad that card check supporters can’t see that. Even after all this time.

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