AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka tells The Atlantic’s
Molly Ball that so-called card-check legislation will happen in a second
Obama term:
“[...] You’ll see it,” he says. “That’s within the next term.” How is
that possible, without a Democratic House of Representatives or 60
votes in the Senate? Trumka smiles. His eyes twinkle.
“There’s another election between now and then,” he says. And the AFL-CIO isn’t going anywhere.”
The legislation would make it easier for labor unions to organize by
abolishing the secret ballot — and was a top labor priority during
Obama’s first term. And it’s one of the enduring sources of tension
between the labor movement and the Obama administration.
Among the tidbits buried in the first Universal Periodic Review (UPR) report of U.S. Human Rights issues was the section excerpted (starting on page 6) below. The Obama administration has declared unionization a human right and indirectly equated it to freedom of speech, freedom of religion and other normal human rights.
23. Freedom of association also protects workers and their right to organize. The labor movement in the United States has a rich history, and the right to organize and bargain collectively under the protection of the law is the bedrock upon which workers are able to form or join a labor union. Workers regularly use legal mechanisms to address complaints such as threats, discharges, interrogations, surveillance, and wages-and-benefits cuts for supporting a union. These legal regimes are continuously assessed and evolving in order to keep pace with a modern work environment. Our UPR consultations included workers from a variety of sectors, including domestic workers who spoke about the challenges they face in organizing effectively. Currently there are several bills in our Congress that seek to strengthen workers’ rights—ensuring that workers can continue to associate freely, organize, and practice collective bargaining as the U.S. economy continues to change.(emphasis mine)
Making it very easy for unions to organize workers is now a stated U.S human Rights goal. The primary bill among the 'several bills' the Obama administration is referring to is the ironically named Employee Free Choice Act which is commonly called 'Card Check.' This bill does away with secret ballot elections for unionization. When a union gets over 50% cards signed, they have won. There is no election. Supporters of the bill claim it still allows an election to be called when 30% have signed cards (same as current law), but only the union doing the organizing can petition for an election. Anti-union workers and businesses don't have that right. Unions normally don't call elections now until they have at least 60% cards signed because many people will sign a card, but vote no during the secret ballot election. Unionization elections will be a thing of the past if this bill passes. 'Card Check' has already passed the House and is pending in the Senate. Shamefully, stripping workers of their right to a secret ballot vote is now a stated U.S. Human rights goal.
If you wonder why 'card check' is bad, let progressive and labor supporter George McGovern explain the issue to you. George McGovern on the Employee Free Choice Act (video)
Democrats have decided to drop the 'card check" provision from the Employee Free Choice Act. This provision was criticized for eliminating worker's rights to a secret ballot during union election campaigns. This is a great victory for democracy lovers. In place of "card check," there will be shorter times before union elections.
A half-dozen senators friendly to labor have decided to drop a central provision of a bill that would have made it easier to organize workers.
The so-called card-check provision — which senators decided to scrap to help secure a filibuster-proof 60 votes — would have required employers to recognize a union as soon as a majority of workers signed cards saying they wanted a union. Currently, employers can insist on a secret-ballot election, a higher hurdle for unions.
If you wonder why "card check" is bad, let progressive and labor supporter George McGovern explain the issue to you. George McGovern on the Employee Free Choice Act (video)
Someone posted their ballot for mayor of O'Fallon, Mo. online. Willfully sharing a completed ballot represents a class-four election offense. Officials are trying to track the perpetrator down. St. Charles County Elections official takes this offense very seriously. He should arrest all local union officials if they support "card check." That bill will eliminate secret ballot elections for workers during organization campaigns.
Ballot photograph has voter on thin ice
An unidentified individual is facing up to a year in prison for posting a photo of his ballot for mayor of O'Fallon, Mo., online, officials say.
State and country officials said the punishment for willfully sharing a completed ballot represents a class-four election offense that also comes with a $2,500 fine, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said Wednesday.
St. Charles County Elections Director Rich A. Chrismer said he is seeking to prosecute the voter, who tabbed St. Louis Blues player T.J. Oshie, 22, as a write-in candidate for mayor.
"They may have thought the photo was cute but it was very serious," Chrismer said of the photo of the ballot that appeared on an Oshie fan Web site.
Chrismer added that voter ballots aren't traceable by name but said he will attempt to learn the voting prankster's identity through the Web site.
"You can't violate something as sacred as the ballot," Chrismer told the Post-Dispatch. (excerpt) read more at redorbit.com
Arlen Specter said today he would vote against cloture on EFCA(card check.)This will make it very difficult to get the current bill through the Senate. Some moderate Democrats may oppose the bill too.
Specter delivers death blow to 'card check' By Kevin Bogardus Posted: 03/24/09 02:30 PM [ET]
Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) announced Tuesday he will oppose card check, giving an apparent death blow to the most important congressional issue to organized labor.
Specter made the dramatic announcement in a floor speech. His opposition means Democrats can count on a maximum of 59 votes to move the bill forward, one short of the 60 required to clear Senate rules.
Winning 59 votes would require Democrat Al Franken to beat Republican Norm Coleman in the still-contested Minnesota Senate race. Democrats also would have to count on holding the rest of their votes, and several centrists have raised doubts about the bill.(excerpt) read more at thehill.com
Three large US companies floated a compromise idea for 'card check'(EFCA) last week. The general reaction from other business leaders has been negative. The 70/50/30 proposal would move 'card check only' elections to the 70% threshold. Many business leaders pointed out unions currently only call an election when they reach the 65% signed card level. They say unions will just hold out for the 70% number instead of calling a secret ballot election. Surprisingly, unions often lose the election when they have 65% cards signed. Many workers sign a card, but later decide to vote against unionization. Union leaders were also cool to the proposal. They think they can get the Employee Free Choice Act passed in it's current form since Democrats control Congress and Barack Obama has pledged his support.
EFCA Compromise: An Update
Two sources familiar with discussions say that the alternatives to "card check" being circulated by companies like Whole Foods, Costco and Starbuck do not include what's become known as the 70/50/30 proposal, which would effectively permit card-check elections only when 70% of a company's eligible employees agree to join a union. The 70/50/30 proposal, the brainchild of DC labor lawyer Jay Krupin, was considered by the companies but rejected, according to one of the sources. The sources would not say what alternatives the companies are actually proposing, and there's no way to know whether partial compromises would attract the attention of lawmakers nervous about the Employee Free Choice Act. (excerpt) read more at politics.theatlantic.com
Barack Obama and Democrats promised to push card check(EFCA) legislation in exchange for support from unions in the last election. Today, they introduced bills in both the House and Senate to end the right to a secret ballot vote for union organization campaigns. This is a sad day for supporters of voting rights. How ironic it is that it is Democrats that are trying to limit voting rights. They have always accused Republicans of wanting to do that. Learn what card check is here.
Democrats introduce card-check By Kevin Bogardus
Democrats on Tuesday introduced controversial labor legislation making it easier for workers to organize, formally kicking off the biggest lobbying fight between business and labor in decades.
The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), also known as card-check, was introduced with 223 co-sponsors in the House and 40 in the Senate. That is less support than it attracted in the last Congress, even though Democrats now hold more seats in both chambers. In 2007, EFCA had 230 co-sponsors on its day of introduction in the House and 46 in the Senate.
“The labor movement is not part of the problem. It is a big part of the solution,” Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) said in introducing the bill. He said Democrats were trying to make sure organized labor would be a part of turning the economy around.
Republicans pounced, arguing the bill is a gift to labor unions that campaigned for Democrats last fall and helped them win the presidency, a larger House majority and a 58-seat majority in the Senate that improves the chances of moving labor legislation. (excerpt) read more at thehill.com
The poorly named Employee Free Choice Act would strip employees of the right to a secret ballot election during a union organization campaign. Employers have coined the phrase "card check' for this insidious bill. President Obama voiced support for 'card check' during the campaign. He reaffirmed that support by telling AFL-CIO members in a videotaped message Tuesday that he will work to pass the bill. According to examiner.com, Obama said,
"As we confront this crisis and work to provide health care to every American, rebuild our nation's infrastructure, move toward a clean energy economy and pass the Employee Free Choice Act, I want you to know that you will always have a seat at the table," Obama told the federation as it held its winter meeting in Miami Beach.
Unions spent hundreds of millions of dollars supporting Obama and Democratic candidates in the 2008 election cycle. The reason for this massive spending was they want passage of the Employee free Choice Act. The House of Representatives has already passed a version of the bill. Union representatives are confident they can get passage through the Senate this year. The AFL-CIO's legislative director, Bill Samuel, said in a conference call,
He expects the long-anticipated bill to be introduced "in days or weeks" and a vote as early as sometime this spring.
Union leaders claim this bill would give workers more rights and not "strip" anyone's right to a secret ballot election. They are lying. Read the truth about card check here.
The bailout concessions sought by the "big three" may mean the death of the UAW. Reportedly, a tentative agreement has been reached to bring UAW union's wages and benefits in line with the transplants. Based on the UAW's history of delaying tactics, we will have to wait to see if this is true. The UAW has been trying to delay having any serious wage or benefit concessions take place until two or three years down the road. If that is what the current agreement is about, it is a sham. In two or three years, the auto market and economy will have recovered enough for the UAW to claim the concessions are unnecessary for Detroit's survival. If the UAW has agreed to accept wages, benefits and work rules similar to the transplant auto manufacturers, this will be a deathblow to them. Their death will not be quick or pretty, but it will be inevitable. After the reality sets in on the membership that they are paying union dues for the same wages, benefits and work rules the nonunion transplant workers are getting, they will revolt. The probability of "card check" passing and providing the UAW with an easier opportunity to organize the transplants and their suppliers won't be enough help to keep the UAW alive for long. Those nonunion workers are not going to want to pay union dues for a wage package similar to what they currently have.
The Employee Free Choice Act (card check) is costing jobs now. Many employers are facing the difficult task of what to do with their excess workforce in these slow economic times. Many are choosing to have a traditional layoff. My own company has been forced to have a layoff. However, fear of passage of the Employee Free Choice Act is forcing some companies to make the difficult decision to permanently fire employees. These fired employees will not have recall rights. If they are rehired, they will have to start all over for wages and benefits. Why is this? Fired employees can not be a part of a unionization campaign. If they have signed cards or sign cards in the future, these cards will not count under the EFCA. Most employers believe the 'card check' legislation will pass this year. President Obama supports this legislation and democrats control both houses of Congress. The House of Representatives has already passed this legislation. Employers are terrified of how easy it will be to unionize their workforces when this law passes. They are taking every step possible to prevent this from occurring. Unfortunately, this has a bad effect on employees who are being downsized. You can find information about what the Employees Free Choice Act(card check) is and how to fight back against 'card check' here.
The Save Our Secret Ballot organization is trying to amend state's Constitutions to force secret ballot votes for all public elections. Who would have ever thought it would have come to this in America. The secret ballot vote is as American as apple pie. Many people have given their life defending this country and our right to vote in secret as our conscience dictates. Now, unions and Democrats are trying to take that right away from workers during a unionization campaign. They are doing this with an ironically named bill titled "The Employee Free Choice Act". There is nothing about free choice in this bill. This is a power grab by unions and a payback for campaign contributions by the Democratic Party. Under this bill, a company is forced to accept a union if over 50% of their employees sign a card. Currently, unions may petition for an election to the NLRB if 30% of employees sign a card. The outcome is determined by secret ballot voting. Of course, unions won't call for an election until they have 60% or more cards signed. That is because many people who sign a card under peer pressure will vote differently in a secret ballot. Unions lose elections when they have only 50% cards signed. That is why they have bribed Democrats with political support to eliminate secret ballot elections for labor organization. Unions clam that the EFCA still allows employees to have a vote. That is very deceptive if not an outright lie. If only 30% sign a card, the union can still call an election. Of course that will not occur. If over 50% sign a card, there will not be a vote. The union is in and there is little the company or anti union workers can do. Under this law, a union could sponsor a drunken weekend party and organize your workplace before the employees sobered up or the company realized there was an organization campaign.
Sending an SOS to Save Our Secret Ballot
Thanks to the secret ballot process, all of our other key American rights are protected.
Without secret ballots, we would lose:
· Freedom from intimidation · Freedom of choice · Freedom of conscience
Save Our Secret Ballots is your ally to guard these rights from scandalous attack by labor union bosses and by the politicians who are beholden to them.
A few years ago, several of Congress' most liberal members wrote Mexico's government, "We understand that the secret ballot is allowed for, but not required, by Mexican labor law. However, we feel that the secret ballot is absolutely necessary in order to ensure that workers are not intimidated into voting for a union they might not otherwise choose."
Those same members of Congress then reversed course when American labor union bosses decided to end similar protections for American workers. Why? Because fewer U.S. employees now join unions, those who profit handsomely from union dues want to pressure them into joining. Secret ballots stand in their way.(excerpted) learn more at sosballot.org
