Some Card Check Stuff

I keep making statements on this blog about the lack of justification for the Card Check provision that takes away an employee's right to secret ballot. That statement is based on a host of conversations I've had with people in the community and in DC that say the justification for this legislation is that employers harass, threaten and intimidate employees during union organization efforts. I still can't see how making a private vote into a public vote would change that, but to offer the benefit of the doubt I had our interns check out as many labor web sites as they could find to help tell the story.

As you'd expect, the big labor groups' web sites are very informative and persuasive on the topic - in fact, on a lot of the points you really have to stop and say "now that makes sense." Some of the stuff, of course, is blatant hyperbole and propaganda ("One-quarter of companies illegally fire pro-union workers" - http://www.changetowin.org/), but for the most part, a lot of it seems well-founded with effective spinning of statistics and facts (sounds accusatory, yes, but we're talking politics here, and if you think there's no spinning of statistics and facts, I would refer you to http://www.disney.com/ for a lighter read).

What is glaringly apparent, however, throughout all the material is that the focus is wholly on the importance of unions in America, and why Card Check is needed to build union membership. I have searched through everything, and still - on labor's own web sites - fail to find a legitimate explanation as to why a very public card-signing process is a safer, more practical and more comprehensive way to decide on organization than allowing an employee a private vote through secret ballot. Seems if protecting a worker's right to choose is the goal, then a secret ballot - where the worker can vote without intimidation from ANYONE - should be everyone's solution.

Of course, we know that Card Check is not about protecting the worker's right - it's about building union membership to ensure enough finances for labor to elect the right people to office so more Card Check-type legislation can become a reality. I've yet to see or hear the justification for taking away secret ballot. And the sad thing is... It may pass without that justification!

From the Partnership's point-of-view, employers should not be threatening or intimidating employees. But the notion that it happens is not reason to take away an employee's right to make a very personal decision in private, and it's ESPECIALLY not reason to give the "other side" the open door to utilize any tactics they'd like on that one employee that's the hold-out with the unsigned card.

Not that we can expect this in New York, but check out what some other states are doing in relation to Card Check.