Restaurant and Food Service Blog

It’s long after Election Day and the buzz is still abound of cheers and fears when it comes to anticipating what things will be like when Obama becomes our next President. There are those changes that undoubtedly will be refreshing and good, while there are those that we simply must not only be cautious of, but have a voice about when it comes to preserving a certain way of life. Many of you will agree with me that the card-check legislation is a change that falls into the latter classification.

Democrats for the most part seem to side with the President-elect that this is a good idea, but as you look across the vast majority of workers who would actually be affected and whose voices should be heard—democrat or republican—it isn’t a popular idea. I want to take this opportunity to take a brief look at the issue, the implications of its approval, and what both sides are saying.

What Is It?

For those of you who may not already be aware, the card-check legislation, also known as the “Employee Free Choice Act,” is a piece of legislation that will in essence remove the ability of employees to vote by private-ballot in elections—a current right provided to union members. The moniker donned by this bill, as you can see, is a false-front, advertising an untruth to unknowing and unwitting employees as it actually strips free choice away. By signing a card, the majority of employees can effectively elect for union representation and lose their right to vote. 

What’s the Problem?

The issues with this piece of legislation are multi-fold.

1.     Introduction of Coercion—Currently, private-ballot elections are overseen by the National Labor Relations Board, which ensures fraud-free elections without the threat of coercion. Without this protection, coercion, intimidation and peer pressure are all re-introduced.

2.     Abolition of Privacy—The basis of a union has always and should continue to come with the right to keep that association private, a right that will no longer exist with a card-check system. Unions, employers and coworkers will all be informed.

3.     Elimination of Democracy—Quite simply, the right to vote is what democracy is all about. By taking this away from the American worker, you remove a civil liberty.

4.     Problems for Employers—Companies too will be negatively affected as unions impose stringent guidelines, effecting freezing control in the workplace.

What Is Everyone Saying?

The position on the democratic side of the fence, clearly by those who are not going to be affected by the passing of such a bill, is in clear support of this movement. In fact, President-elect Obama said that card check will be “the law of the land when I’m President of the United States.” On the other side, we see as I said from the beginning, are the workers, owners and managers who will be profoundly affected by this decision. And, according to a recent poll by American Solutions, 77% of republicans, 79% of independents, and 82% of democrats are against the implications of card-check legislation. Yet, only 30% of employees are required to sign the card in order to give the union power. Clearly, more of these workers need to be educated on the implications of such a bill.

For more information on this legislation and the efforts in place to stop its enactment, visit the U.S. Chamber of Commerce at http://www.voteforbusiness.net/article.jsf?postId=897.