One of the major issues raised in this year's presidential campaign was the Democrats' promise to promote and pass a new federal law that would make it easier for unions to organize employees.
Current organizing efforts require a union to get a certain percentage of the work unit to request a union election. Then, a secret ballot is held so the employees can choose whether or not to have a union represent them.
The secret ballot, overseen by the National Labor Relations Board, prevents both the union and employer from bullying people into voting one way or the other.
Under the proposed, and deceptively named, Employee Free Choice Act, no election would be necessary if the union got enough sign-up cards in advance. Organizers and a small group of employees could simply gather up pro-union signatures, and once they get more than 50 percent, the union would be official.
Labor organizers claim they often get a vast majority of employees to sign up, only to have management campaign against the union and then the employees vote against it. Of course, the other side of that argument is that employees may feel intimidated into signing a petition requesting the election, but when they get a chance to cast their ballot in private, the union wins or loses based on what the employees really want.
How many of us are reluctant to share our political views with co-workers because we don't want to get into a big debate? Some employees just don't want their co-workers telling them who to vote for or what proposition to support.
How much more unpleasant will that discussion be if the question is: “Should we join a union?”
The secret ballot is the key ingredient in a true democracy. Without it, all choices are open to unfair influence, threats, bullying and intimidation. Ask anyone living in a dictatorship, if you can convince them to tell you what they really think.
It's hard to imagine the fairness in changing the system so union organizers and co-workers can push people, even if they don't want to, into signing the cards and choosing to unionize in order to avoid being ostracized, threatened or in some cases, harmed. Yet, this is what an open “check box” process would invite.
Union elections should not be any different than political elections. When making important choices, people are entitled to vote in a safe environment, without fear or threats.
The Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, along with other organizations throughout the country, will be watching this issue carefully as it could have great importance for the future of the Carlsbad business community. As always, we invite your comments and views.
Current organizing efforts require a union to get a certain percentage of the work unit to request a union election. Then, a secret ballot is held so the employees can choose whether or not to have a union represent them.
The secret ballot, overseen by the National Labor Relations Board, prevents both the union and employer from bullying people into voting one way or the other.
Under the proposed, and deceptively named, Employee Free Choice Act, no election would be necessary if the union got enough sign-up cards in advance. Organizers and a small group of employees could simply gather up pro-union signatures, and once they get more than 50 percent, the union would be official.
Labor organizers claim they often get a vast majority of employees to sign up, only to have management campaign against the union and then the employees vote against it. Of course, the other side of that argument is that employees may feel intimidated into signing a petition requesting the election, but when they get a chance to cast their ballot in private, the union wins or loses based on what the employees really want.
How many of us are reluctant to share our political views with co-workers because we don't want to get into a big debate? Some employees just don't want their co-workers telling them who to vote for or what proposition to support.
How much more unpleasant will that discussion be if the question is: “Should we join a union?”
The secret ballot is the key ingredient in a true democracy. Without it, all choices are open to unfair influence, threats, bullying and intimidation. Ask anyone living in a dictatorship, if you can convince them to tell you what they really think.
It's hard to imagine the fairness in changing the system so union organizers and co-workers can push people, even if they don't want to, into signing the cards and choosing to unionize in order to avoid being ostracized, threatened or in some cases, harmed. Yet, this is what an open “check box” process would invite.
Union elections should not be any different than political elections. When making important choices, people are entitled to vote in a safe environment, without fear or threats.
The Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, along with other organizations throughout the country, will be watching this issue carefully as it could have great importance for the future of the Carlsbad business community. As always, we invite your comments and views.