We here at the ‘Grok hold the idea of the secret ballot very dear. The ability of an individual, an ordinary schlub like me, to help determine how things should work free from coercion and intimidation is one that our Founding Fathers enshrined in our democratic DNA.
The problem with this Act is not that it promotes more in the way of Employee Freedom as it takes away the freedom of the secret ballot from an employee trying to decide whether or not he or she wishes to be represented by a union.
Technically, it is expanding the role of union bosses to organize more work places, as once 51% of workers (and it can be over several sites) merely sign a card that states that they would like (remember "like" vs "vote") a union, it is all done. Complete. Fini. Done deal – you is now a union guy! Effectively, however, this is a payback from the Dems for keeping Big Union campaign contributions going.
And that’s not all this act would do! Peter Kirsanow adds this (emphasis mine):
Obviously, this makes union organization far easier. The number of unionized workers has declined significantly over the last 50 years. In the mid-fifties 39% of private sector workers were unionized. By 1980, the percentage had shrunk to 23.6. Presently, only 7.5% of private sector workers are unionized. That figure promises to jump appreciably after EFCA is enacted. It’s not unreasonable to project that union organization rates could return to 1980 levels.
As nervous as employers are about card check, it’s EFCA’s first contract mandatory arbitration provisions that have businesses ordering antacids by the truckload. Under EFCA, if the company and union fail to reach agreement on a contract within 120 days after the union requests bargaining, the matter will be referred to an arbitration panel that will actually write the contract. That contract is binding for two years. I’ve negotiated more collective bargaining agreements than I can remember, but I can’t remember too many times when an agreement was reached on an initial contract in four months. It sometimes takes that long just to agree upon the shape of the table.
What if an arbitrator mandates a wage scale that makes the employer uncompetitive? What if the arbitrator puts the company into a pension plan that renders the company unmarketable? Can the arbitrator require interest arbitration in exchange for a no-strike clause? The questions are interminable.
Make no mistake about it – Big Labor is pushing this as their highly compensated leadership may as well be candidates themselves for all the barnstorming they are doing:
On the week of October 20, AFL-CIO top officers will continue barnstorming the country, visiting key battleground states and meeting with union volunteers, as part of the AFL-CIO’s massive grassroots mobilization effort to turn around America. Officers have already traveled to Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Reporters are invited to meet up with AFL-CIO officers at any location.
AFL-CIO President John Sweeney (Wed., Oct. 22: Indianapolis, IN; Thurs., Oct 23: Cincinnati, OH; Fri., Oct 24: Pittsburgh, PA)
AFL-CIO Sec.-Treas. Rich Trumka (Wed., Oct. 22: Las Vegas, NV; Thurs., Oct 23: Albuquerque, NM; Fri., Oct. 24: Columbus, OH; Sat., Oct. 25: Cleveland, OH)
AFL-CIO Exec. VP Arlene Holt Baker (Mon., Oct. 20: Miami, FL; Tues., Oct. 21: Jackson, MS; Fri., Oct. 24: Atlanta, GA (tent.))
Want more? Here’s a video:
