Secret Ballot Watch

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 here:   

---

“The poll was commissioned to coincide with the publication by the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI) of a Research paper on the union certification process. The study was prepared by Marcel Boyer, senior economist at the MEI and emeritus professor of economics at the Université de Montréal.

“According to Mr. Boyer, Quebec needs to overhaul its legal framework in labour relations, first by making secret ballot voting mandatory when union certification is being sought. ‘This reform would guarantee that workers could express their real opinion, and it would enable Quebec businesses to compete on a level playing field with firms elsewhere, helping to attract investment and promoting job creation,’ he stated.

“MEI president Michel Kelly-Gagnon added that ‘the poll results alone should lead us to ask some serious questions about the legitimacy of a union certification system based on the signing of membership cards.’”

Statement, “Union certification: Mandatory secret ballot voting would show more respect for workers’ wishes,” Montreal Economic Institute, 09.10.09 

---

The poll also found that Quebecers prefer the secret ballot for actions besides unionizing: Nearly two-thirds of respondents agreed that a strike should be illegal if it has not been decided by secret ballot. 

As the Employee Free Choice Act – which has a card check provision – is debated here in the United States, it would be wise for us to look at our northern neighbors and see how laws similar to EFCA actually have affected their economy. We already know that, in some cases, Canadians actually want the U.S. to adopt EFCA – if only so that we can lose our competitive edge in the global marketplace.

With unemployment hovering near 10 percent, huge deficits, and a weakened dollar, the United States has enough economic problems to worry about. The Employee Free Choice Act should not be added to that list.

# # #