EFCA; Free or Forced Choice?

What ever happened to the secret ballot? What else should we let unions destroy? How many more businesses do you want to have micromanaged by Washington? Let’s intimidate the worker and owner alike! What a concept!

Many conservatives believe “Employee 'Forced' Choice Act (EFCA) is legislation that would severely damage small businesses and eliminate worker freedoms leading to job loss and increased unemployment. EFCA would open workers up to intimidation and allow a government arbitrator to mandate contacts without the consent of employer or employee."

You’ll only get the union views from the Obamedia, so here's the other side.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce describes three provisions of the bill, each of which is unacceptable:

* Elimination of Secret Ballot: This legislation mandates that a union be recognized if a majority of employees in a designated bargaining unit sign authorization cards. This is the provision from which the nickname for the bill, "card check," comes. If this provision is enacted, the current system where a federally supervised election process with secret ballots determines whether employees will have a union in their workplace would be effectively eliminated.

* Writing contracts through government imposed arbitration: The second provision would result in contracts being written by federal arbitrators instead of the process of collective bargaining and negotiating.

* Unreasonable and one-sided penalty expansion: Finally, the Employee Free Choice Act imposes dramatic new penalties on employers for violations of the National Labor Relations Act, but not a single new penalty on unions or labor organizers. Read the full explanation of their objections here.

“This legislation — the misnamed Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) — would hurt both workers and businesspeople, and it is not the type of legislation we need if this nation’s economy is to make a timely recovery.

While it may be convenient to paint a picture of business owners and workers having contradictory interests, the current economic situation illustrates how shallow that thinking is. When businesses fail, workers lose their jobs. And when workers aren’t treated well, businesses do not thrive. The interests of workers and business owners are not in conflict — they coincide.

The centerpiece of EFCA is the weakening of workers’ ability to vote by secret ballot on whether or not a union should be formed, by allowing unions to replace these elections with a public card check system. When workers are forced to declare their allegiance to a union in the open, they are far more subject to intimidation and coercion.” Doug Wheeler

“Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, a state business association with nearly 4,000 members, reports that about 70 percent of state respondents to a survey conducted May 17 oppose ending the current secret ballot system. The study was sponsored by the Economic Freedom Alliance, a vocal opponent of the measure.

"The business community is united like never before in opposition to this legislation," said James Buchen, WMC vice president, in a statement. "Wisconsin businesses need to continue to fight this legislation because organized labor isn't going to stop." More than 300 Wisconsin businesses - including several in west-central Wisconsin - signed a letter to Congress in opposition to the legislation.” Leader-Telegram (WI), June 3, 2009

HT Maggie Thurber