Across the country, the American people are still struggling in the slowest economic recovery since the Great Depression. At a time when nearly 12 million are searching for work, the Republican-led House continues to
champion a positive agenda that will help spur economic growth and job creation. Republicans recognize that too often misguided government policies make it more difficult for businesses to expand and hire new workers.
That’s why House Republicans have taken off the table any plan to pass the misnamed
Employee Free Choice Act. More
accurately known as card check, this undemocratic proposal would effectively strip workers of their right to a secret ballot when deciding whether to join a union. Card check was always unpopular with the American people because it would
destroy jobs and expose workers to
greater coercion and intimidation. Yet an
editorial by the Colorado Springs Gazette is a warning that union bosses haven’t given up their hope of imposing this anti-worker scheme on workplaces:
Labor has been taking a number of hits recently, including a judicial repudiation of recess appointments Obama made to the National Labor Relations Board. Michigan lawmakers opted to join the ranks of right-to-work states. Wisconsin voters rejected an attempt to punish Republican Gov. Scott Walker for reining in the excessive power enjoyed by public sector workers. Nationwide, union membership fell from 11.8 percent in 2011 to 11.3 percent in 2012, the lowest level since 1916.
No wonder [Richard] Trumka and fellow labor bosses want Washington to endorse the heavy-handed card check proposal: It would make it so much easier to organize workers by allowing organizers to personally contact workers leaning against certification. This contact could take an ugly turn.
A balanced approach is to not overly restrict union participation but also not to stack the deck in favor of unions. Not even labor bosses can deny that unions have a history of violence and intimidation. Yes, that once could have been said about the management side, but not so much anymore. The secret ballot mitigates the intimidation factor. Card check would elevate it.
Legislation isn't necessarily the only route to card check. The NLRB is another. Card check is a long-term goal of the unions. Their desire for it may wane in the near term but never quite go away.
“Card check needs to remain on the back burner,” 05/29/13
There is a long history surrounding card check and one thing has always been clear: It is bad for workers and job creators. You can expect Big Labor to keep up the pressure for this job-destroying gimmick and count on Republicans to oppose it.
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