We all remember hearing about how the Soviets "voted" back in the day. Either there was only one candidate on the ballot, or the "ballot" was filled out in full view of the party commissars with ties to the infamous KGB. (much like the New Hampshire "town meeting" had become prior to "SB-2" balloting) Ah yes, the "good ‘ole days."
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Guess what? This style of "voting" is making a comeback. "Oh really, Doug? You mean the communists are regaining their strength? Are we gonna have to start worryin’ ’bout them Ruskies again?" Well, not really. It’s not the "communists" in Russia. It’s the ones right here in America, except you might more appropriately call them "socialists"… or, Democrats. And their unionized comrades.Our friend Liz Mair at GOPProgress.com has the story:
At present, in order to unionize, 30% of workers within a given group must favor doing so. Setting aside that in order to get to 30%, it’s very common for individual workers to be intimated by labor union paid and sponsored thugs, the point is this. Once 30% approval has been obtained, the National Labor Relations Board orders a secret ballot election, which, if a majority approves, enables union organizing within that particular workplace. Seems fair enough, doesn’t it?.Not if you ask the unions. They keep losing elections, because people just don’t care about unionizing any more. Perhaps it’s the minimal benefit that workers feel that unions provide, perhaps it’s because people just don’t like handing money over when they know it’s going to be used for political purposes, to strengthen the power of the union as an independent entity to the workers it purports to protect. Whatever the cause, though, the point is this: whereas in 1983, 20.1% of employed wage and salary workers were union members, now that rate stands at only about 12%. And the unions are royally p*ssed..Enter "Card Check," and Rep. Miller."Card Check" legislation would enable unions to demand organization along non-secret ballot lines. It would force union organization–and recognition of the union– in a given workplace where cards are obtained from 50%+1 of the workers, with no election being held.
So, this frees unions to use whatever means necessary to force, or at least try to force, employees into signing union cards.
Click here to read Liz’s entire piece with reader comments. Why would anybody favor non-secret voting? Especially ordinary working stiffs that just want to work and be left alone? Liz will be a guest today at 2PM on our radio program, "Meet the New Press." 1490AM WEMJ (Podcasts will be available on the GraniteGrok podcast page as soon as they are ready.)